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MENTRL EUDUUTIDN 




BY 

ANT KING 



Mr. Darwin deals with Material in his work on Evolution, 

which is Physical or Natural growth. While v/e i 

are agreeable on this, it is only aimed here- \ 

in to deal with Thought, which '; 
I contend is Mental or 

Spiritual growth. '' 

The work consists mostly of the definitions of ,] 

Biblical words on a Scientific basis, \ 

rather than a Religious theory ] 

based principally on ^ 

belief. j 

The most important of these words are God and [ 
Satan, which I argue are Thought; 
that "The Soul" is Sense, and 

"The Resurrection" ] 

is Knowledge. , ] 



BOSTON 

THE ROXBURGH PUBLISHING COMPANY 

INCORPORATED 



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Copyright 1921 

By U. GRANT KING 

Rights Reserved 



PREFACE 

It is customary in this age to mention the 
parents, birth and University schooling of a per- 
son seeking and holding high positions in the dif- 
ferent walks of life. (What a fearful drawback 
custom and form are to development.) We 
suppose it is done with the belief that such men- 
tion in the papers about the birth, etc., will have 
a tendency to place said person in a higher es- 
timation with the community at large tho it 
ought not to do so. It reads something like this: 
**Mr. Smith was born at Albany, New York, of 
highly respected parents. His father was a Pro- 
fessor in the University of Michigan, and a member 
of different societies. Mr. Smith graduated at 
Ann Arbor, and then entered the law business." 

We find many who have graduated from this 
or that school, yet their lives have and do amount 
to much less than some of those who have had but 
a common school education: besides, it should 
not be considered that the former have better 
brains and thinking faculties because they have 
graduated from some University. We regret in 
a way that all cannot have a College education, 
and yet such does not fit man for every occupation 
of greatness in life, tho we are in the habit of 
laying, or may lay such as the foundation of the 
future of man. It is said "Herbert Spencer's 
aversion to linguistic studies put a University 



vi PREFACE 

career out of the question. At the age of seventeen 
he entered the office of Sir Charles Fox and began 
work as a civil engineer. About eight years after- 
ward he gave up this position and devoted the 
whole of his time to Scientific experiments and 
studies, and to contributions on philosophical 
questions to various periodicals." 

It need not be said by me that Mr. Spencer has 
furnished us with wonderful truths along the line 
of Philosophy, because those who have read his 
works know this. It was not because he had be- 
lieved such and such was the case thru a 
customary teaching and belief, but because he 
knew from practical and experimental methods, 
that such and such was the actual truth concerning 
such things. It is the belief of the average person, 
or minister, or priest, that if a person enters a 
Theological Seminary and studies with the "be- 
lief" that such and such is the case in regard 
to truth in the Christian life of man, that such 
persons are better qualified for the ministry of 
the Actual Truth, whether experience and ob- 
servation have anything to do with making it a 
Truth. 

It is amusing to read the objections offered by 
priests and ministers against those who give in- 
terpretations of words written in the Bible, be- 
cause the latter have not been thru a Theo- 
logical Seminary, when these same ministers and 
priests are supposed to receive their lessons from 
Jesus who never entered a Seminary, nor even 
had a common school education. But we cannot 
expect anything else from such persons, when 
we take into consideration that the same feeling 



PREFACE vii 

existed in the same time of Jesus, by THE SAME 
CLASS TO-DAY. They said then and to-day—, 
"Is not this the carpenter's Son? is not his mother 
called Mary? and his brethren James and Joses, 
and Simon and Judas? Whence then hath this 
man all these things?" We can liken the Theo- 
logian of to-day as was Nicodemus in those 
days when "he answered and said unto him, 
How can these things be? "Jesus answered and 
said unto him. Art thou a master of Israel, and 
knowest not these things? "Verily, verily, I 
say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and 
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our 
witness. "If I have told you of earthly things, 
and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell 
you of heavenly things?" 

Jesus was no scholar, but the son of a trades- 
man, or "a carpenter," and should not according 
to the priests: know "such things" concerning a 
Religious life to the extent of teaching it. He was 
considered by the "chief priests" and so-called 
learned men as "beside himself," just as all men 
who advance a new idea. 

Most all Scientific propositions were and are 
considered by the majority to be the result of 
"un-sound" thinkers, or that they are not sane 
ideas. The chief priests remarked as much about 
Jesus when they said "he is beside himself." The 
Darwin theory has been looked upon by many as 
an "insane Idea," because it was not up to the 
"belief" of a Religious idea, but now we find many 
of these same persons who agree with Darwin, 
since they have changed their belief for things 
that have been proved to be so, altho contrary 



viii PREFACE 

to their Religion. Therefore, we can consider the 
following remark made by Herbert Spencer as 
worthy of mention here, as approved by one 
wishing to be heard, the ideas that may seem to 
be advanced. 

"Whoever hesitates to utter that which he 
thinks the highest truth, lest it should be too much 
in advance of the time, may reassure himself by 
looking at his acts from an impersonal point of 
view. Let him duly realize the fact that opinion 
is the agency thru which character adapts external 
arrangements to itself — that his opinion rightly 
forms part of this agency — is a unity of force, 
constituting, v/ith other such units, the general 
power which works out social changes; and he will 
perceive that he may properly give full utterance 
to his innermost convictions: leaving it to produce 
what effect it may. It is not for nothing that he 
has in him these sympathies with some principles 
and repugnance to others. He, with all of his 
capacities, and aspirations, and beliefs, is not an 
accident, but a product of the time. He must 
remember that while he is a descendant of the 
past, he is a parent of the future ; and that his 
thoughts are as children born to him, which he 
may not carelessly let die. He, like every other 
man, may properly consider himself as one of the 
myriad agencies thru whom works the Un- 
known Cause; and when the Unknown Cause 
produces in him a certain belief, he is thereby 
authorized to profess and act out that belief. 

"Doubtless whoever feels the greatness of the 
error to which his fellows cling, and the greatness 
of the truth which they reject, will find it hard to 



PREFACE ix 

show due patience. It is hard to listen calmly to 
the futile arguments used in support of irrational 
doctrines, and to the misrepresentation of antagon- 
istic doctrines. It is hard for him to bear the mani- 
festation of that pride of ignorance which so far 
exceeds the pride of Science. Naturally enough 
such a one will be indignant when charged with 
irreligion because he declines to accept the car- 
penter-theory of creation as the most worthy one. 
He may think it needless as it is difficult, to con- 
cede his repugnance to a creed which tacitly as- 
cribes to the Unknowable a love of adulation such as 
would be despised in a human being. Convinced 
as he is that all punishment, as we see it wrought 
out in the order of nature, is but a disguised benefi- 
cence, there will perhaps escape from him an angry 
condemnation of the belief that punishment is a 
divine vengeance, and that divine vengeance is 
eternal." 

The people believed the priests then and now 
because of their Seminary training, yet, Nico- 
demus could not understand how **Ye must be 
born again." It is to point out herein that it is 
thru Thought that man is to be born again, 
and that Nicodemus looked to a Natural impos- 
sibility instead of a Mental possibility. I shall 
not aim to, as most writers who disagree with 
Darwin in some respects to associate a Religious 
belief of creation along with that of Natural devel- 
opment. Having compared what it says in the 
Bible with experience and observation, is to know 
by such that the life Jesus taught is the Spiritual 
life to be here lived, altho he too because of 
the early age in which he lived could not live the 
fullness of the Christ life he taught. 



X PREFACE 

The conditions of life are continually changing, 
irrespective of what the individual has believed, 
and to believe in all what Jesus said as to what con- 
cerns a life hereafter, is as unreasonable as it was 
for JesUs and Paul to believe even in any part of 
the Old Testament. Paul said, "for their minds 
were blinded: for until this day remaineth the 
same veil un taken away in the reading of the Old 
Testament, which veil is done away in Christ." 
The "OLD" and "NEW" are but the history of 
the lives and experience of those who lived in those 
days — the experience and observation causing 
certain prophecies to be made, and since a lower 
intelligence only develops by comparison to a 
higher intelligence, we can readily understand why 
each following generation is partially due to the 
prophecy of the former generation. The view, 
that remarks made in the Bible seem contradictory, 
only illustrates the selfish and non-selfish view of 
the authors, yet, in their Scientific meaning, they 
are not contradictory. Self, or selfishness is de- 
rived from nature, and can only have its existence 
in the flesh, and because of nature being a part 
of our existence we naturally look towards a sel- 
fish view of life, and so the creeds as a Religious 
body have failed to diagnose the Truth because 
of their own selfish view. A lie is the Truth until 
it is uncovered, and then another lie fills its place 
as the Truth, so goeth Religion. Religion is but 
a theory on Truth and called Scientific because 
of "things learnt," and naturally so "believed," 
instead of believed thru experience and ob- 
servation as Jesus alluded to when he said: "O 
ye hypocrites: Ye can discern the face of the sky: 
but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" 

The Author. 



INTRODUCTION 

The subject under consideration is of vast 
importance, but no doubt is the least understood of 
any theme brought before the public. I shall not 
expect, nor even attempt to persuade all readers 
of these narratives to believe the same, as it could 
barely be expected at this period of the game, since 
Time is required to work out the problem of, and 
Perfection of Being; however, a reasonable hearing 
shall be asked. The subjects are treated with as 
much respect to other writers as my Conscience 
will permit, and if I am too aggressive to the most 
stereotyped Religious Creeds, it is not more so 
to the same class as when Jesus said *'0 ye hypo- 
crites." 

I have only expressed myself from the experi- 
ence and observation of things, which two essen- 
tials are the qualities necessary to form a Science 
of any Truth, and the same Jesus went thru 
in order to teach what he did as a result of this 
experience. And what is the Science of anything, 
but that Knowledge is duly formed by experience 
and observation as all Phenomena? Tho 
Spencer was not able to see this Truth as regard 
to all Religion in Phenomena, he gave much in 
regard to it, else he would not have alluded to an 
"Unknown Cause," or to the "Unknowable," 
as we shall find herein is a Known Cause, or is 
Knowable. 

Herbert Spencer says, "There has ever prevailed 
among men a vague notion that Scientific knowl- 



xii INTRODUCTION 

edge differs in nature from ordinary knowledge. 
By the Greeks, with whom mathematics — 
literally things learnt — was alone considered as 
knowledge proper, the distinction must have 
been strongly felt; and it has ever since main- 
tained itself in the general mind. "All knowledge is 
from experience," holds M. Compte, and this I 
also hold to, hold it, indeed, in a wider sense than 
M. Compte, — since, not only do I believe that all 
the ideas transmitted by past generations are thus 
arrived; but I also contend that the very faculties 
by which they are acquired, are the products of 
accumulated experiences received by ancestral 
races of beings (see Principles of Psychology). 
Nor am I aware that M. Compte accepting this 
doctrine, has done anything to make it more 
certain, or give it more definiteness. Indeed it 
was impossible for him to do so, since he repudiates 
that part of Mental Science by which alone this 
doctrine can be proved." 

We find that Religious belief changes from one 
Truth to another, because built upon Theory, 
or ''things learnt,'' and continues to ask in the 
words of Pilate, "What is Truth," while Truth 
continues to exist as a Truth regardless of a certain 
belief, and will be Known "by its fruits" — experi- 
ences in life. A great religious faith was prac- 
tised before Martin Luther stepped upon the 
threshold of a doctrine he too had believed, but 
the Conscience of a God or Thought came to him 
in a more reasonable light than he had experienced 
in his former belief, and so to-day and thruout 
the ages, man has and is gaining a better knowl- 
edge of what the word God implies. Therefore it 



INTRODUCTION xiii 

is only doing justice to man, that man speak 
according to his Conscience, rather than to uphold 
a theory and laws which have always worked in 
some degree contrary to development. Martin 
Luther in speaking of Conscience, said: "unless 
I be convinced by scripture and reason, I neither 
can, nor dare retract anything, for my Conscience 
is a captive to God's work, and it is neither safe 
nor right to go against Conscience." I add: this 
is true in the meaning that God is Thought, which 
is Thought's work, or "God's work," and that the 
"Conscience" of a thing to-day may not be the 
Conscience of a thing in the past, if it be so that 
the Conscience is conscious of a different view 
of life and more in harmony with development, or 
is evolutionary in its meaning, just as Luther held 
a different view or became conscious of a different 
life than what he had been living. 

Judging from the immoral conditions of the 
world, we can see very little advancement towards 
a more moral state of things, altho religions 
abound in great numbers. Nor can we say with 
precision that all the morality is due to the doc- 
trines of the differeat religions, since man is to be 
awakened to the fact that he must develop with 
Good, or God as Thought, in order to reach a 
Higher State of Life. 

A very dear Catholic friend of mine once said: 
"Catholicism was the first and is the oldest re- 
ligion, and why should it not be the only light 
to Truth?" I replied: "The candle was once 
the most perfect and natural form of light in the 
world, but to-day we have gas and electricity, 
and would you wish to return to and use the can- 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

die because it was and is the 'oldest,' or used be- 
fore the electric came into use?" Progress is a 
universal law working, and while all things exist 
having Principles and nothing having a real ex- 
istence concerning functions on Mental problems 
without a Known Principle, we can readily see 
the falsity of anything to advantage unless used 
as such. Anything "Unknown" is no Cause to 
an end. Electricity has its Principles; Mathemat- 
ics has its Principle, and we must know the Prin- 
ciple of Mathematics, else the true example can- 
not be worked, and it cannot exist as a true ex- 
ample without its known Principle, therefore, any 
"hidden" thing has no existence as a living Prin- 
ciple. 

I do not claim any original idea beyond what 
some others have written in regard to heaven, 
but I believe I have drawn away somewhat from 
their idea in giving the definition of God and Satan 
as Thought, the Soul as Sense, and the Resurrec- 
tion as Knowledge. The same idea and same 
words are repeated herein quite often, but it is 
done with the aim that you may be able to under- 
stand more thoroly, also because of many 
Bible quotations being of a repetitional nature 
require repetitional interpretations of a like nature, 
so I trust you will overlook the many iterations, 
besides, they are liable to carry more weight along 
with the sentence wherein they are written. 
Neither have I confined myself to each subject 
thruout as a compound idea of explanation, since 
subjects of a different nature are a natural ac- 
quisition in drawing out to perfection each sub- 
ject. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 



GOD AND SATAN ARE THOUGHT. 

"For it is God which worketh in you," as 
also it is Satan which worketh in you in 
opposition," 

The reason I have set out to use the Bible quota- 
tions as a forerunner to the subject and the finality 
of the whole, is because I believe they are signifi- 
cant of the Evolution of Thought from Genesis 
to Revelation. It is readily for me to conceive 
the idea, and I shall endeavor to point out the 
fact that Consciousness did not exist prior to 
Genesis, or that Genesis is "THE BEGINNING" 
of a State of Consciousness as to Morality and 
Immorality — "Good and Evil" — God and Satan — 
and as to what may be termed Thought in apply- 
ing it to use as to distinguish likeness and unlike- 
ness. But the greater point of fact to be brought 
out and of which the Bible quotations can be 
used, is because it so relates more to the life of 
man, and it is to confine the subject of THOUGHT 
to the Spiritual life of man, tho thoughts of all 
nature and meanings may be associated in the 
life of man. And when speaking of the Spiritual 
life of man, I do not confound such a word with 
any future life, nor one separate from this life, 
but as coexisting in this life, and therefore define 
the word Spirit as a synonym to the word Mental, 

1 



2 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

or that Spirituality is nothing but MentaUty, and 
neither refers to an individual life, but is the in- 
dividuality of the meaning of a unity, and so not 
indivisible, only as an individual meaning. It 
is my intention to so disassociate God with the 
Natural form of Creation, so as to prove that God 
did not exist prior to Creation, and therefore is a 
Cause Known instead of an "Unknown Cause," 
and to be Known as a Creator, or a Thought as 
Cause, or Cause as Thought, which could not 
Cause any existence known as matter, because It 
is not of a material nature, and, since things only 
can exist by what they consist, so God could not 
exist as the Cause of Nature. There being noth- 
ing in Nature in the likeness of God other than by 
MAN-ifestation of a State of Con.sciousness called 
Thought, so It can only Create things conditionally, 
and finally change or Cause a different Creation. 
So there can be no such a thing as a God, other than 
Thought, and there is no such a thing as a Satan, 
other than Thought, therefore God is a Cause as 
a Creator, or is a Re-Creator as the words of Jesus 
implies, "YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN." The 
word "again" is significant of a different Creation, 
or that there must have been something in the 
nature of being created BEFORE a thing could 
be created "AGAIN." The word "ye" as used in 
the sentence is significant in its meaning as apply- 
ing to all generations and to the idea that man is 
to be born again, since no man in the then and 
following generations has reached the State of 
Perfection, or as Emerson puts it: "If John was 
perfect, why are you and I alive." It cannot 
allude to any SET OF MEN as some would have 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 3 

us believe because of their own selfish views, and 
so refers to man in all generations as that Thought 
which is to change not the form of man, but the 
bodily conditions of man — natural conditions per- 
taining to the body, and then shall exist the Per- 
fect man as Paul says: "First that which is Natural, 
and AFTERWARD that which is Spiritual." 
Also the fact that God was not the Creator of the 
''NATURAL MAN," as Paul said: "Howbeit, 
that was not first which is Spiritual, but that which 
is Natural." If, according to the general opinion, 
and I agree that it is true that "God is a Spirit," 
how in the name of Reason could Spirit Create 
Material things, and then be opposed to what It 
Created? as it is referred to by "the Spirit is 
against the flesh." Granting that Paul believed in 
a Spiritual body separate from the Material, which 
was easy in that generation as it is even so now, 
it is unreasonable that it is true, yet, his words here 
only signify that the Natural existed "first," and 
in time is to be replaced by a Spiritual and bodily 
condition, and that God could not exist prior to 
the Natural condition. Jesus said "Behold the 
hour Cometh, yea, is now come that ye shall be 
scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave 
me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the 
Father is with me." In other words, none of the 
disciples could accept the teaching and live it, 
because of their, or "his own" creed or doctrine, 
therefore is "every man scattered to his own," 
But why did Jesus say this? Because he knew 
that it required time in which to put it in practise 
as well as to believe it possible, just as other men 
of Science have failed to make people believe 



4 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

facts they have proved to be so. The meaning of 
the word "alone," or Jesus as Christ was alone, 
was because the Spiritual or Mental Thought 
as God or "Father" was MAN-ifested by Jesus 
only as regards to a more Spiritual life then. 
The word "Father" is significant of that which 
antedated the time of Christ as Spiritual or Men- 
tal, just as the natural father antedated the life 
of Jesus as physical or natural. In other words: 
Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary, but Christ 
WAS and IS the "Son of God." The same Idea- 
Christ is alone and will be alone until "ALL MEN" 
are "EVEN AS I AM," which signifies the Uni- 
versal Life of the One-Christ. Here the word 
"Son" is but the individual meaning of a Whole 
or Unity called God, Father or Thought, and there- 
fore "the Christ" as a Mental conception of life 
as it refers to the same where it says "I and my 
Father are one," and not that Jesus was any part 
of God, other than MAN-ifesting the seeming 
individuality of the Whole. There never existed 
a prophet so thoroly familiar with the idea of the 
development of Thought as Jesus, because he 
lived it almost incessantly, and by this experience 
knew that the Mental or Spiritual Life was and is 
superior to the Physical or Natural Life which is to 
be reached thru God or Thought of the same. 

His prophecies will be fulfilled to the letter in 
the Sense that the Spiritual life as the Highest 
form of life is the end to be reached, and we are 
becoming more acquainted with the exact Truth 
he taught and the words spoken, altho many times 
in parables, than our progenitors. In Genesis 
3: 22 it Says,— "And the Lord God said (Man 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 5 

became conscious and thought so) Behold, the 
man is become one of us, to know Good and Evil; 
and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also 
of the tree of life, and eat and live forever," he 
shall have little part in life above the physical, 
but be as "the ground from whence he was taken." 
We read in John 3: 3 — , "Jesus answered and said 
unto them, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, except 
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
of God." You will note here with me that it does 
not say, "Ye must be born again" as in another 
passage referred to, but, except a man be born 
again, which is in keeping with the idea I have 
heretofore explained, or that it does not refer to 
you and I as the individual living in the past or 
present generation, but that it will be so when 
the past and present natural conditions shall cease 
to exist as Paul says, — "So when this corruptible 
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal 
shall have put on immortality, then shall be 
brought to pass the saying that is written. Death 
is swallowed up in victory." 

These three passages should lead us to believe 
that only thru the understanding of an Eternal 
Principle termed Thought, and the work thereof, 
shall man be able to reach the Perfect Idea or 
Christ of Life. The first thing then that confronts 
us, is to know the Principle, in order to commence 
rightly. To offer as an illustration, we will take 
mathematics as an example. In order to add two 
and two, we find there is a Principle to know, and 
when we have learned this, it is easy to add two 
and two and receive a correct answer. So also it 
is easy to work with God when we understand the 



6 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Principle of Thought as God. Since the funda- 
mental truth of Thought is Mental — Spirit, it stands 
to reason that only the derivative can be a mental 
product, and in order to do this it is possible only 
to work thru evolutionary methods along Mental 
lines by associating the Higher elements of Thought 
in Consciousness, that it will become so Visible 
in the Spiritual Sense. It is the general opinion 
of man that he should pray to God, or that there 
is a God to pray to, in order to overcome different 
things of the world, when we ought to know that 
a condition cannot be overcome unless that con- 
dition is changed, or it is to be changed thru 
the Power of Thought. If you were going to add 
two and two, you could not conceive an answer 
by praying to the Principle of mathematics, — 
you cannot move nor change the Thought or Prin- 
ciple of anything by praying or even wishing it 
to be so, since existing conditions in regard to 
re-creation are the products of a living Principle 
developed so. Then, in order to receive "the 
answer," the man must be changed thru a Prin- 
ciple, and not by looking up to that Principle. 
We have lived according to, or have recognized 
two living Principles of Thought, and so we arrive 
at two conclusions, or manifest them in the form 
of ''Good and Evil," and this is why we have be- 
lieved in a God and in a Satan. "Ye are of your 
Father the Devil," because you are of your Thought 
the Evil, or manifest the Evil Thought, but when 
"I and my Father are one," you manifest Good or 
God, which Jesus referred to when he said, "YE 
are not of the world, even as I am not of the world, 
I and my Father are one." This could only allude 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 7 

to Thought, since any separation is individual, 
and, of course, would still leave a chance to con- 
clude in a Personal God or a Creator of the Phys- 
ical. 

Spencer says, "We know nothing more of ex- 
istence than a continued manifestation" which 
ought to convince any unbiased mind that there 
can be no other existence, tho we may "believe" 
in som.ething concerning another life because 
taught so by one who has had no experience in 
another life, therefore no authority for the same. 
Manifestations of Reason, Intelligence, Good and 
Evil, are Mental manifestations thru the Physical, 
while the body Physical is the manifestation of 
Nature and so the existence is known of both 
Physical and Mental by manifestation. "You are 
of your Father the devil" or of this or that, may 
lead one to believe they are OF this or that, 
which is incorrect, but is a term applied in order 
to distinguish the individual from two conditions, 
or that they manifest one effect as a result of one 
Cause, and manifest another effect as the result 
of another Cause, and so are OF one or the other, 
but should not leave the impression that they are 
OF either as an offspring, but that you are God 
and Satan. Again: in dealing with other thought, 
we hear people say, "I thought that," when it is 
a fact that only the thought presented itself as 
to that or this. You never think of anything in- 
dependently, but because of something which may 
involve that of existing conditions, or as to what 
may change these conditions, so you embody this 
thought as an individual, since, other individuals 
would embody these growing conditions if you did 



8 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

not exist as a body during the same period and 
location. Neither does a thought at the same 
time always present itself alike in two persons, 
because these persons are sitting at different angles 
at the same time. I will also argue the fact that 
you do not act as individual Thought as Cause, 
else you would be responsible hereafter for what 
you thought as an individual, which of course 
is the religious theory that you suffer or enjoy 
hereafter for what you do in this life, when you are 
not the Creator of either "Good and Evil." But 
it is not to dwell on thought as to things in life 
generally, for it is the aim only to prove that God 
and Satan are "Good and Evil" Thoughts as is 
illustrated in "Genesis," and Thoughts being 
Mental, they are both Spirits, for it says "There 
are good and evil spirits." In regard to general 
thought, Herbert Spencer quotes Hegel by saying: 
"Now, if we believe with Hegel, first, that 
thought is the true essence of man, second, that 
thought is the essence of the world, and that, 
therefore, there is nothing but thought, his classifi- 
cation beginning with the Science of pure thought, 
may be accepted. But, otherwise, it is an obvious 
objection of his arrangement, that thought im- 
plies things thought of — that there can be no 
logical forms without the substance of experience — 
that the Science of things must have a simultaneous 
origin. Hegel, however, anticipates this objection, 
and, in his obstinate idealism, replies that the con- 
trary is true; that all contained in the forms, 
to become something, requires to be thought 
of, and that logical forms are the foundations of 
all things. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 9 

"Mankind find themselves unable to conceive 
that there can be thought without things thought 
of. Hegel, however, asserts that there can be 
thought without things thought of. That ulti- 
mate test of a true proposition — the inability of 
the human mind to conceive the negation of it — 
which in all cases he considers valid, he considers 
invalid where it suits his convenience to do so, 
and yet at the same time denies the right of an 
opponent to follow his example." 

To take the stand that "there can be thought 
without things thought of," is to hold the view 
that thought is nothing, since, if we find things 
are thought, and thoughts are things, then, in 
the name of Reason, how can other thought exist? 
But I contend that thought only exists in the form 
of things by name created out of material in Nature, 
and that Nature is but a growth thru the evolu- 
lutionary process of atoms coming in contact and 
forming things in their natural order, because Mind 
or Thought did not exist prior to Nature, since 
Consciousness as to Good and Evil and the naming 
of things did not exist during the elementary 
states of natural Evolution. Nature can only be 
related to the Natural Law of Evolution, while 
God can only be related to the Spiritual Law of 
Evolution. If God or Thought created rain, etc., 
then Science in Astronomy is without any founda- 
tion in fact, yet thgught of the same is significant 
that it is thought. So God is not a "FIRST 
CAUSE," but an existence due to development — 
making the Evolution of Thought simultaneous 
with the Evolution of Nature, and making it 
possible for the Thought as a God to control the 



10 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

organic or natural life accordingly as it develops 
in Power by demonstration of Mind over matter, 
because matter is unable to demonstrate this 
ability. In his work on "Science, Philosophy 
and Morals," Mr. Spencer quotes Mr. Martineau 
on Evolution in the following: 

"The first definite objection which Mr. Mar- 
tineau raises is, that the hypothesis of General 
Evolution is powerless to account even for the 
simple orders of facts in the absence of different 
numerous substances. He argues that, were matter 
all of one kind, no such phenomena as chemical 
changes would be possible; and that "in order to 
start the world on its chemical career, you must 
enlarge its capital, and present it with an outfit 
of heterogeneous constituents. Try, therefore, 
the effect of such a gift, fling into the pre-existing 
caldron the whole list of recognized elementary 
substances, and give leave to their affinities to 
work." The intended implication obviously is, 
that there must exist the separately-created ele- 
ments before Evolution can begin. 

"Here, however, Mr. Martineau makes an as- 
sumption which a few, if any, chemists will com- 
mit themselves, and which many will distinctly 
deny. There are no 'recognized elementary sub- 
stances,' if the expression means substances known 
to be elementary. What chemists, for convenience, 
call elementary substances, are merely substances 
which they have this far failed to decompose ; b ut, 
bearing in mind past experiences, they do not dare 
to say that they are absolutely undecomposable. 

"Mr. Martineau next alleges that a fatal dif- 
ficulty is put in the way of the General Doctrine 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 11 

of Evolution by the existence of a chasm between 
the living and the not living. He says: 'But with 
all your enlargement of data, turn them as you 
will, at the end of every passage which they ex- 
plore, the door of life is closed against them still.' 
Here again our ignorance is employed to play the 
part of knowledge, the fact that we do not know 
distinctly how our alleged transition has taken 
place is transformed into the fact that no transi- 
tion has taken place. We have, in a more general 
shape, the argument which, until lately, was 
thought conclusive — the argument that because 
the genesis of each species of creature had not been 
explained, therefore each species must have been 
separately created. 

"Thus the reply to this objection is, first, that 
there is going on from both sides a rapid narrowing 
of the chasm supposed to be impossible, and, second, 
that, even were the chasm not in course of being 
filled up, we should no more be justified in there- 
fore assuming a supernatural commencement of 
life than Kepler was justified in assuming that 
there were guiding-Spirits to keep the planets 
in their orbits, because he could not see how else 
they were kept in their orbits." 

I here use the above quotation merely to point 
out the fact of opinion based upon Religion, and 
one based upon Science. Men of religious views 
have invariably been antagonistic to Evolution 
because they could not associate their religious 
views with Evolution. But religious views are 
continually changing, and therefore should prove 
that the change is due to Science based on the law 
of Evolution. There will be as great a change in 



12 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

regard to a Spiritual Life, as there have been 
changes made in regard to organic life. The truth 
in regard to man as well as other conditions of 
life have advanced greater in the past few years 
than it has for many previous years, because of the 
discovery of America, since, advanced thought, 
nor any progress cannot be made to advance 
when it is arrested as it was before America was 
discovered. 

Darwin, in quoting from Galton, says: ''There 
is apparently much truth in the belief that the 
wonderful progress of the United States, as well 
as the character of the people, are the results of 
natural selection, the more energetic, restless, 
courageous men from all parts of Europe having 
emigrated during the last ten or twelve generations 
to that great country, and having there succeeded 
best." 

We can hardly agree with Galton, that progress 
is due directly to "the more energetic, restless, 
courageous men" emigrating from Europe, unless 
we also agree that men were GIVEN A POSITION 
in which to express themselves MORE FREELY 
after landing in this country. It matters not, 
how "courageous" people are, if they are not al- 
lowed freedom of thought and speech, because 
bondage will necessarily arrest the thinking 
faculties to some extent. We have no cause nor 
even a desire to think for ourselves, if we are told, 
or supposed to believe that ONE MAN, or even a 
few shall do the thinking for us, which was and 
even now is the popular religious belief. To make 
my sentiment more clear on this point, we will 
bring two very important incidents together 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 13 

which will concur with my statement, and that the 
progress of the country is as much due to the more 
FEARLESS KIND, as to the "energetic" as 
referred to by Gal ton. 

"In 1492 Columbus discovered Trinidad, and 
the mouth of the Orinoco, and landed at Paria, 
on the coast of South America. After these dis- 
coveries, Columbus steered for Hispaniola where 
he found everything in disorder. The king's ear 
had been again abused, and an officer named 
Bovadilla had been appointed to supersede Colum- 
bus as governor, and by this person Columbus was 
sent home in chains. The spirit of adventure, 
however, which had borne him up amid so many 
disappointments, was not to be crushed by in- 
justice. It still burned bright and strong as ever 
within the great old man who, on the 9th of May, 
1502, with four vessels and 150 men, set out once 
more to seek a passage uniting the Atlantic and 
Pacific oceans, wdiich he imagined lay somewhere 
between Honduras and Paria. 

"In 1505 Martin Luther took his degree of 
Doctor of Philosophy, or master of arts, when he 
was twenty-one years of age. Previous to this, 
how^ever, a profound change of feeling had begun 
in him. Chancing one day to examine the Vulgate 
in the University Library, he saw with astonish- 
ment that there were more gospels and epistles 
than in the lectionaries. He w^as arrested by his 
new^y found treasure. His heart was deeply 
touched, and he resolved to devote himself to a 
Spiritual Life." 

In taking these two incidents seriously into 
consideration, it cannot but impress us with the 



14 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

idea that they were to bring about a complete 
change of venue in the world of thought, not 
only in the religious feeling, but in other matters 
as well. No doubt but the thought advanced by 
Luther, which is now partly in error thru more 
progressiveness, would have died with its author, 
had there not been a chance to express — "water" — 
it more freely than in the country in which he 
lived. This chance you will note came with the 
discovery of America, since it was about that time 
when the people were well under way to America, 
and the more "restless," and especially the FEAR- 
LESS kind could advance their ideas more freely. 
This also illustrates the fact that we cannot much 
hinder development in any form. The saying, 
"I will utter things which ha.ve been kept secret 
from the foundation of the world," also proves 
that the final Truth concerning the Christ as the 
Idea of life to be lived, was inevitable in the time 
of the Adamic Era, and that it was not under- 
stood in the time of Jesus, nor is it hardly con- 
ceivable at present. It is "secret" simply because 
it had not developed into a State of Consciousness 
as acknowledged by and known by Jesus, tho it 
could have been brought to light by any person 
under another name, as well as that of Jesus. 

All Power and Cause have been attributed to 
God as a Being, thru custom or usage, tho God as 
Thought is Power. Power and Cause can be and 
is attributed to Satan because such Thought is 
Power, yet it should not be used as such. Mind 
and Thought co-exist with matter, and cannot be 
known and exist without matter. But matter can 
exist without Thought or Mind, which proves 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 15 

that Creation in the form of Matter did or could 
and can exist without Mind, which proves that 
Creation in the form of Matter did or can exist 
without a God as Creator. Thought is founded 
then, by what exists in the Phenomena, or there 
can be no existence of Thought but as it is seen 
in the Phenomena. We can only form a different 
opinion in Thought by different things existing in 
the Phenomena. If my opinion as to what is right 
has changed, it is because what had appeared to 
be a fact has outgrown its usefulness by other more 
reasonable ideas forming the one idea as to a more 
exact Truth in its Phenomena. The reason the 
Thought as to the change in Religion is so, is 
because the present Phenomena of our existence 
is the result of a Thought outgrown by what had 
appeared in the phenomena as so. All our little 
seeming individual thoughts of things as they 
differ with other individuals are but the result of 
opinion brought about by what appears different 
to one or the other in Phenomena, which dif- 
ference is due more or less to the changed state 
being changed by lack of growth as the case may 
be in the individual being at one time or other 
associated differently with things in Phenomena. 
Thought then, must in time outgrow matter, as 
when matter which has fulfilled its growth by the 
development of Thought will be much less in 
existence since it will only be an acquisition in the 
form of Thought to express Thought as it is to-day, 
much less in power as a Physical body, because of 
the mental growing more in Power as a Mental 
body. Thought is not individual just because it 
exists in the individual Conscience, since the terms 



16 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"Good and Evil" (God and Satan) are ALIKE in 
all individuals. An Evil is an Evil whether it be 
in your Conscience or in mine, therefore IT IS 
NOT INDIVIDUAL, but is a Unity of Thought, 
or a Whole expressed by individuals and can be 
called a "Son" of either God and Satan. 

Before mental faculties were developed, there 
was no such thing as God and Satan. The term 
God has been applied to Creation when that of 
Abiogenesis and the Biogenesis of life should be 
used. It has been only since thought developed, 
that such a thing as "Good" — God could exist, 
or such a thing as a Knowledge of "Good and Evil" 
— God and Satan — could exist. We also read this 
state of consciousness in Genesis as to man being 
able to name things in nature, saying: "And 
brought them unto Adam to see what he would call 
them; and whatsoever Adam called every living 
creature, that was the name thereof." We should 
realize the fact that there is no existence besides 
that which exists as visible, either in the Physical 
or as the Mental. It is unreasonable that a Spiritual 
and Natural world, or that one condition which is 
SUPPOSED to have existed, and still exists UN- 
KNOWN or BACK OF THIS, will, when the 
visible or what is termed this Natural existence 
shall have finished its course, be known then, and 
EXIST ALONE as the Spiritual. Such hypothe- 
sis of two worlds existing are ridiculous, when tak- 
ing the objective-matter as a necessary acquisi- 
tion to hold up the objective-spirit, if the Spirit 
is at present wholly Absolute, (i. e.) If what is 
termed the Spiritual, did, or could exist before 
what is termed the Visible or this Natural, and does 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 17 

NOW EXIST, and then CAN EXIST ALONE, 
after what Is generally termed the destruction of 
this world; IT SEEMS UNREASONABLE THAT 
THIS WORLD SHOULD EXIST AT ALL. So 
then there could have been no "First Cause" for 
material in the form of Creation, since Creation 
would have had a Cause to Create it, when it 
simply developed thru atoms in contact, because 
it could not be an Effect without a Cause and could 
have no Cause because it could not spring from 
the absurd idea of ''NOTHING," as the author 
refers to in the first part of Genesis. We hear 
people say, "What was the world created for," 
or. What did God have in mind when he created 
the world?" It could not be otherwise than what 
it is, nor otherwise than what it has been. All of 
this "noise" is the result of selfishnevSs derived from 
the individual view of life, and therefore not 
Scientific. Jesus was selfish and non-selfish at 
times, and so we read the TWO WORLD view 
from his selfish view and not from a Scientific 
point of view. When he lived after the flesh, or 
had natural desires, he could hold selfish views 
since passion hath no time for Knowledge, just 
the same as all nature is shown in all of us more or 
less — less selfishness in him, especially "after the 
fast," because he lived then away from the world, 
and therefore held more the Higher Thought — 
God of Life. 

It is highly conceivable then that God did not 
exist first, neither did Satan. (Man did not exist 
first, and man being even as it says, "the image of 
God," so neither could exist first.) So, God and 
Satan being Thought, so the NAME MAN is this 



18 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Thought by MAN-ifestation since the time of 
the Adam and Eve Era, because of " the beginning" 
— "Genesis" of a Knowledge of two lives — one 
Higher and the other Lower — Good and Evil" — 
than was known by the animal and primitive 
man. What may be termed solids, or material 
and therefore being a form of substance, was all 
and is all that could and can fill space in the form 
of life. (Principles need no space — God and Satan 
are these.) So what may be termed the Abi- 
ogenesis of life received its initial step from the 
mass or matter, but when that step was taken and 
finished, then that was the end of Abiogeny as to 
one kind of existence, because that which is termed 
the Biogenesis of life was here developed. 

"Heat is a form of Motion." We know Heat 
causes matter-material to expand, which is more 
than likely that heat could account for, and has 
had, and does have much to do with giving life, 
which here may be termed the Abiogenesis of 
life, for, if particles or atoms of matter were thrown 
out by "Heat" by way of expansion, and therefore 
cause in matter what may be termed life because 
of "Motion," and thereby come in contact with 
other particles or atoms of matter thrown out by 
"Heat" by way of expansion; is it not possible 
that such could produce Action and Life? If, 
according to Darwin, and I must agree with him 
that man evolved from a monkey, it stands to 
Reason that the monkey evolved from a lesser 
animal, and so on down to the first stage of animal 
life, and even to nothingness. We can get this 
illustration from the evolution of light. Com- 
mencing with the candle as light, next we receive 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 19 

light from kerosene, then the gas and then the 
electric, which all contain one or more of the same 
elements in producing light, yet, a much different 
FORM of light. It is said, "birds of a beautiful 
plumage have been placed in a different or wild 
country than where they were born, and there 
changed to a different plumage." This again proves 
that environments and the different localities 
and the substance along with forces in those lo- 
calities have much to do with the different form- 
ing of life, and the life of one, and not that a 
Being termed God is the Cause of such a bodily 
form of existence in the natural way. 

In the following quotation where in his "Recent 
Discussions in The Sociological Disagreement, or 
Reasons for dissenting from Comte," Mr. Spencer 
gives in his "Science, Philosophy and Morals," 
the very like view I take in regard to organic 
life and its functional associations, saying: "And 
now let me point out that which really HAS ex- 
ercised a profound influence over my course of 
thought. The truth which Harvey's embr>"ologi- 
cal inquiries first dimly indicated, which was after- 
ward more clearly perceived by Wolf, and which 
was put into definite shape by Von-Baer — the 
truth that all organic development is a change 
from a state of homegeneity to a state of hetero- 
geneity — this it is from which very many of the 
conclusions which I now hold, have indirectly 
resulted. In SOCIAL Statics, there is every- 
where manifested a dominant belief in the evolu- 
tion of man and of Society. There is also mani- 
fested the belief that this evolution is in both 
cases determined by the incidence of conditions — 



20 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

the actions of circumstances. And there is further, 
in the sections referred to, a recognition of the 
fact that organic and social evolutions, conform 
to the same law. Falling amid beliefs in evolu- 
tions of various orders, everywhere determined 
by natural causes, (beliefs again displayed in the 
THEORY OF POPULATION and in the Prin- 
ciples of Psychology), the formula of Von-Baer 
acted as an organizing principle. The extension 
of it to all other kinds of phenomena than those of 
individual and social organization, is traceable 
thru successive stages." 

How many thousands and thousands of years it 
required to develop man from the first moving 
atoms or particles of living matter will never be 
known, nor is it necessary. Consciousness could 
here begin to develop with what may be termed 
expansion of matter, since such expansion re- 
quired expression of Action or "Motion." Again: 
Consciousness may have developed with what 
we term touch, which would naturally bring about 
some feeling of expression, for touch is recognized 
thru cohesion, as a match produces light when it 
strikes its opposite with force. All the while Con- 
sciousness developed more and more until crea- 
tures became upright — man the most of any, and 
vso the thought developed into a State of Conscious- 
ness, and gave man the name "image," because he 
appeared to this Conscience to be the creation of 
some Being. Such a Conscience in those days 
could easily hold the idea of some Being, or what is 
termed God and Satan, but as the Thought de- 
veloped, so did the Conscience conceive the idea 
of how things could be created out of the material 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 21 

existing. It was then, too, according to the 
"Genesis" mentioned in the Bible, that the con- 
science became Conscious of two conditions of 
life as to the moral and immoral character of man, 
for, this is the Real God and Satan and Thought 
in a different form of life and mentioned here as 
"Good and Evil." "Good is the Anglo-Saxon 
term for God," as in the words of Jesus, "there is 
only one Good and that is God," or there is only 
one God and that is Good. If you ask me, "do 
you believe in God, I reply yes, because I believe 
in Good." If you ask me, do you believe in A 
God, I reply no, because there is not a kind of 
Good, any more than there is a kind of Truth or 
God. The word good and bad may be applied to 
material things, but when referring to God as 
Good, that applies to Mental or Spiritual things, 
in the Sense that doing an act of Good is an act of 
God in the form of Spirit significance. 

Therefore, the Adam and Eve Era is the "Gen- 
esis," or, "the beginning" of "the world" of Con- 
sciousness as to the Sense — Soul of Good and Evil, 
and so does not refer to Creation on a material 
basis. You claim that "God is Good" (this is 
correct when you conform it to the idea of Good) 
should by that very assertion be reasonable enough 
to acknowledge it does not conform to matter, 
because it is not material, and therefore could 
not Cause creation in the form of matter, and, 
since, creating such pests as insects and the like 
would not be in harmony with what we should now 
term God or Good, or in fact any animal life which 
we know even as man is brutal, would be contrary 
to that which is Good, and therefore contrary to 



22 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

God. It is often remarked, "God created these 
pests, etc.," to punish man, when Love or Truth 
cannot issue anything contrary to Love or Truth, 
since, "Ye cannot gather grapes from thorns, 
or figs from thistles." Did you ever stand by and 
watch the innocent horse being tortured by the 
insect? Must the horse suffer because the man did 
a wrong? It is here evident that you should be 
familiar with the fact that the insect, like every ' 
other specie, is but fighting its own battles for 
an existence — this is natural and sometimes brutal, 
even as it is with man to man, let alone the beast 
that knows no law of social function. 

Jesus said "it rains on the just, and on the un- 
just." This remark only illustrates results from 
natural causes, and the fact that man is subject 
somewhat to that which he is naturally related to, 
and how impossible it is to avoid existing condi- 
tions. These things occurring have been attrib- 
uted to "the fall of man" since the days of Noah. 
The fall of man is a myth, for man has risen ever 
since he became Conscious of two conditions of 
Thought, or, if he had not become Conscious of 
these, he would be like the animal or primitive 
man; therefore the FALL only illustrates the dif- 
ference between these two conditions — the Higher 
and Lower. It would also be absurd for man to 
destroy the things in Creation, if God created 
them, yet, man is inventing all sorts of things by 
which he can kill and destroy not only all animal 
life, but man also. So then, each thing is made 
individual by individual usage, and may be termed 
Spirit or Thought in its relation to the Creation 
concerning man to rise above the organic or 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 23 

Natural life of man. It is claimed that there are 
two Minds — one good and the other evil. There 
can be but one Conscience, or even one Mind, 
but the term two is used and understood to be so 
because things are expressed in two forms of life — 
good and evil. The same Machine will produce 
a good and an inferior article, therefore not the 
fault of the Machine (Conscience) but the ma- 
terials used. No two thoughts — Good and Evil — 
can occupy the Mind at the same time. That 
Thought is Power, and Power is also Thought, 
is Expressed in every action or moving Machine, 
for "Thoughts are things." The hammer is raised 
thru the knowledge of how the Machine should 
be constructed to raise and let fall the hammer. 
But God is the Thought concerning a Higher or 
Spiritual Life over and above the Natural or Lower 
Life of Man, and should be but the One Thought in 
order to reach the Perfect End, as Jesus said 
"ye cannot serve two masters." Let me quote 
here some vsimilar idea of Spencer. 

"As the progress of Thought is one, so is the 
end one. There are not three possible terminal 
conceptions, — but only a single terminal con- 
ception. When the theological idea of the provi- 
dential action of one being, is developed^ to its 
ultimate forms, by the absorption of all inde- 
pendent secondary agencies, it becomes the con- 
ception of a being immanent in all phenomena; 
and the reduction of it to this state, implies the 
fading away, in thought of all those anthropomor- 
phic attributes by which the aboriginal idea was 
distinguished. The alleged last term of the meta- 
physical system — the conception of a single great 



24 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

general entity, NATURE, as the source of all 
phenomena — is a conception identical with the 
previous one: the consciousness of a single source 
which is coming to be regarded as universal, 
ceases to be regarded conceivable : differs in nothing 
but name from the consciousness of one being, 
manifested in all phenomena. And similarity, that 
Vv^hich is described as the ideal Science — the power 
to represent all observable phenomena as particu- 
lar cases of a single general fact, implies the post- 
ulating of some ultimate existence of which this 
single fact is alleged, and the postulating of this 
ultimate existence, involves a state of conscious- 
ness indistinguishable from the other two." 

Man is then — not looking at him from a Natural 
point of view — but the Expression of the Good and 
Evil Thought, and not Perfect as Mrs. Eddy says 
"God made man Perfect," because the Perfect 
Thought or God is not Perfect, or Wholly con- 
ceivable in the consciousness and therefore not 
Visibly so, but ultimately there shall be the Man 
as One Thought or God. It is because we have 
held in consciousness the idea of two ends — Heaven 
and Hell — that the one cannot reach its finality, 
tho it shall not be the selfish view of a locality, 
other than here as a locality. So, if to-day we shall 
look to the one end as to the Mental or Spiritual 
Idea of Life to be reached as the final end, that 
end shall be reached, just as the end of the Nat- 
ural formation reached its end when man de- 
veloped. Man as he is to-day, cannot live after 
death, because we cannot express either Thought — 
Good and Evil — after death, for Thought or 
Spirit is Life in the Visible form of life concerning 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 25 

man. Neither can the Machine which expresses 
action — Life, do so after it is out of repair or de- 
stroyed, but the Idea is expressed by another 
Machine of the same making — form — and per- 
haps an improvement, just as man is improved in 
character and the like by the Higher Evolution 
of Thought. 

The word "we" is often used when the word 
"man" should be used in speaking of the Uni- 
versal Truth concerning the life of men, because 
any looking to ourselves as a final end or future 
is a selfish view. Mrs. Eddy says "the time is 
coming when WE shall not live to eat, nor eat to 
live." I agree the time is coming when man 
shall not live to eat, but, man in the form of WE 
and others during the Natural condition shall eat 
and die so long as the Natural conditions exist, 
since, WE are only forms of life concerning now two 
conditions — Physical and Mental or Natural and 
Spiritual, or working according to the develop- 
ment of Thought, since "Ye are as sheep for the 
slaughter." 

"Man shall not live by bread alone," illustrates 
the growth of the Higher Thought — God — during 
the Natural existence, until finally — the end — 
the Natural condition is overcome. And "God 
is not the God of the dead, but of the living." 
(i. e.) Thought is not the work of the dead, be- 
cause the Thought cannot work in a dead form. 
When you say as Mrs. Eddy and the general re- 
ligious view that "we" live forever, is a case where 
"belief" does not make it a fact. While "I and 
my Father are one," this does not refer to me as 
an individual, but that "I am" God as long as I 



26 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Express Life as God, or I and my Thought art 
one, which cannot be Expressed by me after what 
is termed death, but that Life continues to exist 
as Life in other individuals as God. You have 
the Thought or Spirit to be Good or God, and you 
have the Thought or Spirit to be Evil or Satan, 
and therefore are you both God and Satan — 
"Good and Evil," or "One of Us." The past and 
present religious belief of a God to pray to, or 
that man is not as it says in Truth a God, is why 
we fail in having less power over things of the 
world, just as the boy who always looks up to a 
father for help and support is unable to master 
things. But when we realize the fact that he is of 
the same making, he will not look up to a father, 
but look within himself to find the same talent 
and power. I shall be "stoned" for claiming I am 
God, and that you are God, just as Jesus was 
stoned when he aimed to illustrate the same idea, 
as in the following will prove it is the Truth. 
"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone 
him. Jesus answered them, 'Many good works 
have I shewed you from my Father, for which of 
those works do ye stone me?' The Jews answered 
him, saying. Tor a good work we stone thee not, 
but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being 
a man, makest thyself God.' Jesus answered 
them, ' Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are 
gods?' " In other words: if I address you, or a 
single person, is it not just as reasonable for me to 
say you are God, as it would be to address a 
number of persons and say "Ye are gods?" Here 
again in pointing out that God is Thought, and 
Thought is Man, or that Man is God and Man is 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 27 

Thought is because the terms are applicable in 
the sense that if I act according to what I think, 
it is because I act according to Thought and am 
Thought or God because of this. If in opposition 
I act accordingly, then I am Satan, as Jesus refers 
to when he said "ye are of your father the devil." 
The animal cannot be a God, nor a creation of God 
because it knows nothing of and cannot think 
morally and immorally, but acts according to a 
feeling derived thru the brain and nerves, and not 
from what is Thought. To say that ''God is the 
same yesterday, to-day and forever," is in error 
from the very fact that even religious views of God 
have gradually changed, besides. It could not exist 
as Perfect in "the beginning," since Perfection in 
anything is reached thru growth, tho the Principle 
of Thought or Thinking may be Perfect. ''Vox 
populi vox Dei" can be termed proper, and also 
that the voice of the people is the voice of Satan. 
We have thru custom applied the words God 
and Satan to different things and causes, when it 
concerns only us as to two states of life. We say 
"God caused the lightning," or, "Caused it to 
rain," or Caused it to bring about earthquakes, 
drought, or that or this, when EACH have their 
own law existing because of certain existing con- 
ditions. We are under the same law in a way 
as are other forms of organic life, but are placed 
above certain conditions, because Thought con- 
ditions things to a different environment. We are 
affected somewhat by the rain, etc., because of 
OUR ASSOCIATION with them and because of 
some like material in our construction, and not 
because God and Satan have anything to do with 



28 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

it. It is only natural that that part of us which is 
derived from the same source as other things, 
shall in like manner be treated as such, or, "re- 
turn to dust." Both God and Satan can be at- 
tributed to what are termed the Spiritual and 
Natural, because there is no other way by which 
we can explain two conditions, or Spirit and matter. 
But, both should in the term of Spirit, refer to 
the Mental, or work from the Mental, since the 
Cause of one brings a like Effect, and the Cause of 
the other brings a like Effect in regard to a better 
and worse condition of life. The animal life existed 
long before these existed, and does now exist so, 
and man being the same as to the Physical, also, 
exists the same. I wish here and always to ignore 
the word "Invisible," only in explanation, since, 
such a word has and will leave the impression that 
there exists two worlds. This is the reason other 
writers have failed to see the "Unknown." They 
are more liable to believe in two worlds, or that 
there is a visible and an Invisible, or that a Thought 
may have existed prior to its appearance, because 
they say it was "First the thought and then the 
spoken word." This idea, too, has caused the 
belief that the Thought and Word are separate, 
and, therefore that God and Man are separate. 
Man has and does believe in two worlds because 
he has believed that Spirit referred necessarily to 
some Invisible thing called God, while Matter ap- 
plied to or referred to the Visible things called 
man and beasts. They can be used as such terms 
because there is no other method by which we can 
explain TWO conditions in ONE life, or, to use 
the words of Spencer: "We can only speak of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 29 

matter in terms of Mind, and we can only speak 
of Mind in terms of Matter." The Thought was 
and is just as much a word as when Thought or 
spoken. Nor, can one exist prior to the other. 
Just the instant a Word is Thought, just that in- 
stant does it become a Word, therefore they are 
not separate, only by verbal usage, nor are there 
two existences, and knowing this, there cannot be 
anything "Unknown." "The word was made 
flesh," signifies that the Thought cannot be Ex- 
pressed by other than Matter. Jesus said, "He 
that hath seen me hath seen the Father also," 
because the Thought is Expressed or Man-ifested 
by the form of Jesus as "the Father," and there- 
fore is a Known Cause, and not an "Unknown 
Cause." It is reasonable then to believe we can 
work more perfect if we know the Cause. It was 
not that there existed a Being or Personality in the 
form of man as Jesus appeared. Not that Jesus 
was separate, or an individual, and therefore a 
"Son," but that the life he Expressed was in 
Unity with the "Father" — Thought of a Higher 
Idea — Christ of life than the man can express 
while living after the Lower Idea — Adam of life, 
therefore, "the Christ." Jesus was not that 
Christ, not "the Son of God," only in the term 
that he taught the Idea — Christ, and w^as there- 
fore looked upon by his followers, and called 
"the Christ." Jesus was no more than You and 
I, because he spoke the Word of God — both God 
and Word are One — and not a Word from God or 
of a God. So then, a Son of Thought is a Son of 
God, which cannot be so in Nature, for in Nature, 
man is a son of man. Because, now, and since 



30 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"the beginning" of the Spiritual Law is working 
"side by side" with the Natural Law; man is 
leading a Dual Life. The Spirit is called Spirit 
and Invisible because it is not really individual, 
but indivisible and exists as Thought from one 
generation to another. The word Spirit can be 
applied to Satan as well as to God, for both work 
as the Mental, since the Evil is Spirit or Thought 
when it is acted — ^Visible. I aim to continually 
argue and remind the reader that the Evil or 
Thought and the Act are but ONE existence. 
It is easy to understand why Jesus had more of a 
conception of the Ideal life. Thought growth is 
by sowing, just as much as nature produces more 
than its equivalent by sowing. Because he made 
more of a study along the line of Metaphysics, so 
was he in a position to receive more of the develop- 
ment of Thought. After he had received the full- 
ness thereof, he began to sow, but because of the 
brute or animal nature that predominated in his 
time, it was impossible for the Mental faculties 
to develop, and to reap much of a "harvest." It 
still continues, because "the flesh works against 
the Spirit," or the " Natural man" looks and studies 
more of nature than he does of Spirit. To-day, 
we read more along the lines which treat of the 
Physical than of the Mental. We are continually 
"treating" the body. And it is no wonder, since 
we care more to live "after the flesh" than "after 
the Spirit." When we get the idea out of our 
Natural Consciousness that "God created man," 
or that he was and is "PUT HERE FOR A PUR- 
POSE," etc., then, and not until then will the 
growth of Thought be more universally lived. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 31 

"The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few." 
"God is a Spirit and they that worship him, must 
worship him in Spirit and in Truth." So is Satan 
a Spirit, but man is told not to worship — be con- 
scious of HIM in spirit, for, concerning God it 
says: "The hour cometh, and NOW IS, when the 
TRUE worshippers shall worship the Father in 
Spirit and in Truth," or, not only in Spirit, but 
in Truth, and not in Error. Paul said, "Beloved, 
believe not EVERY SPIRIT, but try the SPIRITS 
whether they be of God." In referring to God and 
Satan, or Truth and Error, Paul said, "We are of 
God: he that knoweth God, heareth us; he that 
is not of God, heareth not us. "Hereby know we 
the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of error." You 
will note here with me that "Spirit" refers to both 
"Good and Evil, or Truth and Error, while most 
religious writers claim that Spirit refers to God 
only. Again, "Now we have received not the 
spirit of the world" — Evil and Temporal — "but the 
Spirit which is God" — Good and Eternal. This 
places the Idea or Adam with Satan, and the Idea 
or Christ with God, when concerning the life of 
man as Thought, but not in Creation. The form 
or shape of man is not to be changed, but the 
character and condition, and understanding these 
as Thought and Power, it is easv to understand 
how man is to be "BORN AGAIN." To claim 
God is the "First Cause," is to place the evil con- 
ditions and all deformities in nature as the Effect 
of that Cause, which to me seems very impossible, 
since. Truth cannot produce its opposite, or Error. 
I repeat, that there was no "First Cause," since 
Thought as Cause is Derived from conditions that 



32 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

exist, and can have a Cause to change these con- 
ditions, which former conditions of matter had no 
cause before Thought developed, but existed as 
material substances. This idea you will note, also, 
does not place either God and Satan as the Cause 
of the other. Neither is the Higher Evolution of 
Man due to going back in search of his origin as 
atoms of matter and organic life, but to hold in 
Conscience, or be Conscious of that which pertains 
to a Spiritual Life only as the One to exist forever, 
for, he can never be ''born again" by looking at 
the material point of life. 

We are to-day coming more into the knowledge 
that the Bible is but a history and chronological 
data of words which presented themselves to the 
Conscience of man only in keeping with a genera- 
tion in which they could be applied as such as 
having their part with the lives of man in those 
days, therefore, are not the words of a God as a 
Being. In other words, each generation is lived 
according to the knowledge of God and Satan, and 
NOT because ''God said" this or that. God said 
that or this because man thought — the thought 
presented itself as to this or that concerning God, 
since God could only be known as the conception 
was known to exist, or, as their belief in a God. 
In other words: It was they who wrote and spoke 
as they believed they had heard and understood 
— being of a more brute and animal nature, they 
had more of an idea of a Personal God than we of 
to-day. Of course, there can be no other God 
than as he is seen thru belief, since God to that 
man is the exact image of what that man believes, 
since, belief is all that man can live by, yet, it 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 33 

may not be the Truth. We have more Gods to- 
day, because we have more beliefs, that is, more 
conceptions of what God is like. But there is but 
ONE GOD, and, have they seen "The Father," 
who claims this or that belief? 

The Old Testament contains much of "God 
said" so and so. As the generations pass, there is a 
marked opinion and diversion noticeable as to 
what these words in the Testament signify, which 
interpretation of the same has given rise to many 
popular religions. Such a diversion and drawing 
away from beliefs is evidence that they are all a 
matter of opinion, or not a certainty that any of 
these conclusions are correct. It is only thru 
experience and observation and time, regardless of 
any former belief proved to be wrong, that a final 
conclusion can be reached. "Ye can discern the 
face of the sky," because you look only on nature, 
but ye should "discern the signs of the times," 
because not only nature should be considered, 
for, we are learning by "the signs of the times" 
that nature has played too prominent a part on 
the life of man. Asylums of all description are 
being erected for the purpose of those who are so 
unfortunate as to be the offspring of the lower 
self. In trying to build up man, we have failed to 
impart the law of Thought which has Power to 
build up or to destroy the Physical conditions. 
We have "believed" too long the "old doctrines" 
because they were said by "well read men" to be 
facts. Many a lie has been thought and accepted 
as a truth until it was uncovered. The disciples 
said many times to Jesus that they " BELIEVED," 
yet we find "he rebuked them for their lack of 



34 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

UNDERSTANDING," which is proof that it is 
not only in the "belief" of a thing, but the "under- 
standing" of that thing which gives it its rightful 
position. 

So then, it is clear that the doctrine of a certain 
creed, or ANY CREED not holding the SAME 
VIEWS TO-DAY AT EVERY POINT as it 
held in THOSE DAYS, are not reliable and 
authentic, and therefore subject to ridicule. The 
different remarks in the four gospels are also 
evidence of how true it is that every person does 
not entertain the same view of a remark or sub- 
ject given or lectured upon, else there would not 
be such a diversification in the sayings of the four 
apostles. The Old Testament is responsible for 
the lack of growth along the line of Religion, and 
as to any advanced ideas. We to-day ought to 
discard it altogether, and I dare say it will not be 
long ere the New will be unnecessary in order to 
understand the facts on ethics. The minister 
quotes more from the Old than the New to-day, 
which is significant that the "natural man" in 
his way still predominates in the majority, and 
this is why the Truth along religious lines of the 
Spirit or Mental is not developed more univer- 
sally. I cannot understand why for so long a time 
ministers have evaded the remark by Paul, who, 
so many years ago understood the possible hin- 
drance of a Higher Evolution because of studying 
things outgrown. He said, "But their minds were 
blinded ; for until this day remaineth the same veil, 
untaken away in the reading of the OLD TESTA- 
MENT, which veil is done away in Christ." 
"Even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 35 

is upon their heads. Nevertheless, when it shall 
turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away." 
In the New Testament, the "veil is taken away" — 
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING IS VISIBLE 
because "the veil" of MISUNDERSTANDING 
"is taken away." The "New" is the Christ as 
the Idea of Life, which view has been and is ob- 
structed (veiled) by reading and studying the 
"OLD" or Adam as the Idea of life. The "Old" 
illustrates the "Natural Man," and the "New" 
illustrates the Spiritual Man. Paul said "The 
natural man knoweth not the things that be of 
God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither 
can he know them, for they are spiritually dis- 
cerned." (i.e.), The natural man looks at the 
physical and natural view, and so cannot accept 
the Spiritual or Mental view, or it is mentally 
"discerned" instead of the physical as the life 
here to be lived, and that the Spiritual is to be 
lived in another locality. 

The Old Testament obstructs Progress as to the 
True Knowledge of what God is, just as the Prog- 
ress of a child would be hindered in advanced 
studies, if it continued to read and study the primer. 
To-day the ministers and priests object to the 
"modern" interpretation of words written in the 
Bible, but we can imagine how modern these 
same words were accepted by the same class in 
the time of Jesus. God and Satan then, are two 
Thoughts of life working to an end which no man — • 
"not even the Son" — can fathom, other than that 
Truth is Imperative when Error lessens its com- 
mand, for, Satan has not as yet been worthless, 
(the Lower condition must always be proved so 



36 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

by the Higher), for, as it says "while ye gather up 
the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them." 
In other words, there is no one but what has some 
evil and good — "tares and wheat" — in them, and 
evil cannot be forced as the "reformers" would 
have it moved, and as Jesus here illustrates when 
the same class wanted to move the "tares" from 
the field. They, "the reformers" have "tares" 
of another existence in them that should be re- 
moved, and would object if another body attempted 
to remove their likes, for such proof can only be 
made thru the law of Evolution as the above 
quotation illustrates, and not necessarily removed 
during the natural life of some individual. 

In the following I give the definition of deriva- 
tives, and that things as Unities and Trinities 
are relatively Synonymous. 

Spiritual Law Natural Law Universal Law. 

The Spirit; The Word; The Truth. 

The Father; The Son; The Holy Ghost. 

The Invisible; The Visible; The Comforter. 

The Spiritual simply signifies an Eternal ex- 
istence, and the Natural a Temporal existence, 
and a Universal Law because of the co-operation 
between the Physical and Mental being necessary 
so long as the Material is necessary in forming 
the continuity of the Thought of Life. The 
Spirit is Spiritual; the Word is Natural and the 
Truth is Universal because of the Unity. The 
Father is The Son and The Holy Ghost because a 
Unity, tho in the form of a Trinity because of the 
same Universal Law. The Invisible is the Visible 
in the form of "The Comforter" as Universal. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 37 

In reference to this Unity of Thought I here again 
quote the words of Jesus. "Ye are not of the world, 
even as I am not of the world; I and my Father 
are one." The word "even," as used in the sen- 
tence is to place just a little variation between 
Jesus and man generally, that is; in speaking of 
this Unity of all men as one and Jesus also, he 
says "ye are not of the world," and "I am not 
of the world," by adding, "I and my Father are 
one." It, of course, appears that Jesus referred 
to himself only, because of the then and now 
theory based upon a religious belief of a Creation 
by a God who had created man and other living 
things, and later seemed to feel sorry for what He 
had created and so "sent his Son" to make a 
change. But the above quotation magnifies the 
idea into a more reasonable definition when we 
associate all as a Unity, in that here Jesus makes 
no distinction between himself and others as to be- 
ing differently created. Therefore, he is no more 
a Son than others, yet, more so, or "even" more so 
because of his unequaled understanding of that 
Unity called Spirit above Matter. 

The word "Christ" in the New Testament is 
synonymous with the word "Image" as used in 
the Old Testament as far as the Unity of life is 
concerned, or, Christ refers to the Unity of the 
Spiritual or Mental life, while Jesus refers to the 
Natural or Physical life as the "Image" and both 
are synonymous to the word Idea, because both 
are an Idea of life. Idea is the definition of Image 
given by Webster, and taking this definition as 
true, I will give my definition of the word Idea 
by way of an illustration. 



38 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

An Architect planned a building to be erected, 
therefore an Idea, but not necessarily the building. 
The building was destroyed by fire, but the Idea 
still continued to exist, for, a dwelling was soon 
replaced after the same Idea; and you will agree 
with me that if the Idea had been destroyed, the 
structure could not have been rebuilt the same, 
and agree also that it could not be rebuilt from the 
material destroyed by fire. Now, Man — the 
Spiritual or Mental Idea or Christ, or God, or 
Thought will exist forever; but Man — the Phys- 
ical or Natural having not lived as the Christ 
because of the past and present Material condi- 
tions, can no more exist or return to life after death, 
or continue to exist in another locality, than the 
material used in the construction of the building, 
after it is destroyed by fire, since, Man or You are 
but presently the embodiment of two Ideas known 
as Adam and Spirit — Jesus and Christ, and there- 
fore subject to two conditions of life — Physical 
and Spiritual, or Natural and Mental. 

Because I have referred to the Architect as 
having an Idea of creating or planning a building, 
it might be construed from such that the meaning 
would infer that God is a Being or Person with an 
Individual Mind having an Idea as to man. The 
Architect is but a form by which the Idea is able 
to develop, just as man is a natural form by which 
the Thought of Good or God can develop. The 
term "mind in man" gives man the Creative idea, 
therefore an idea that man is the IDEA "OF" 
GOD, or SEPARATE from God; when man is an 
individual term for God, since this God or Thought 
could not exist — be known — without the form of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 39 

man, any more than the idea of the building could 
be known without the materials used. 

In speaking again of God as Cause of this or 
that, we will refer to Geology which has a law of 
its own. Mr. Mallet says, "Volcanoes, and the 
centers of the earthquake disturbances, are near 
the sea, or other large supplies of water: and that 
when an eruption of igneous matter takes place 
beneath the sea-bottom, the first action must be 
to open up large fissures in its rocky material, or 
to lift and remove its incoherent portions, such 
as sand, gravel, mud, etc. The water on meeting 
the heated surfaces assumes the spheroided state; 
while in this condition, the intestine motion may 
be great, but little steam is generated; but no 
sooner have the surfaces cooled, than the water 
comes into closed contact with them, and a vast 
volume of steam is evolved explosively, and blown 
off into the deep and cold water of the sea, where 
it is condensed, and thus a blow of the most tre- 
mendous sort is given at the volcanic focus, and 
being transferred outwardly in all directions, is 
transmitted as the earthquake shock. On the 
surfaces again becoming heated by conduction 
from the molten mass, the various phases are 
again repeated. This is the chief CAUSE of earth- 
quakes, but they may also be due to the evolution 
of steam thru fissures, and its irregular and per- 
saltum condensation under pressure of sea- water; 
or to great fractures and dislocations in the rocky 
crust, suddenly produced by pressure acting on it 
from beneath, or in any other direction." 

We can conclude from the above quotation that 
the rain, snow, etc., have their law in nature, as 



40 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

well as the earthquake. Jesus said in regard to 
Evolution concerning man on a Metaphysical 
basis: "But as touching the resurrection of the 
dead, have ye not read that which was spoken 
unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, 
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God 
is not the God of the dead, but of the living." 
Jesus could not allude to any following genera- 
tions, nor know the actual Form or Truth of such 
conditions which might develop, since, ''no man 
knoweth, not even the Son," what shall be, yet 
he could and did prophesy what might be the 
result of Truth as he saw it by "overcoming the 
world" — sexual indulgence. Thought, being a 
growth along Mental lines, it could not predestine, 
and so "the Son" — Individual — Expressing this 
Unity of Thought could not know the actual end. 
So then, God is the God — Thought and work of 
Abraham, yet, NOT AFTER DEATH, but the 
Thought and work of Isaac, yet, NOT AFTER 
DEATH, but the Thought and work of Jacob, 
yet, NOT AFTER DEATH, but the Thought and 
work of "THE SEED" following these genera- 
tions, since life cannot exist as the Spirit either 
for Good and Evil where death exists, or in a 
dead body, which as it says cannot be "resur- 
rected." 

So then, there is but one course to pursue, and 
therefore the duty of every man is to be Con- 
scious of the Higher Thought, in order that the 
Spirit of Perfection will become a Visible possi- 
bility. Any other view is selfish, that is, if we look 
to ourself as an individual result, we are holding 
the wrong Idea which is natural and ends in death 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 41 

because it belongs to nature. Emerson wisely says, 
"those who live to the future must always appear 
selfish to those who live to the present." Mrs. 
Eddy says ''Man is Spiritual and not Material." 
I claim every man is as much Natural (I prefer 
to use the word Natural, as Paul does, instead of 
the word Material) as he is Spiritual, if he is Con- 
scious of both in the same proportion, and so too 
because of both conditions existing. If he holds 
but the One Idea, "I am Spiritual," then he is 
holding to the Truth of an Eternal existence, and 
will develop more in harmony with the Spiritual 
Idea than by holding to the two Ideas, or, you will 
not be serving "two masters." This mortal — 
flesh Idea — can only "put on immortality" as 
Immortal Thought is Thought. I agree that Man — 
the Idea or Christ of Life is "Spiritual" or Mental 
and Eternal, and not "Material" — Physical. Jesus 
avoided the Thought concerning Nature almost 
continually, yet, there are evidences that he did 
not do so incessantly, or live the Idea — Christ of 
Life entirely, nor could he in that age any more 
than we of to-day. However, his teaching always 
referred to the Higher Life. The Natural is ac- 
cording to Nature in its relation to the Material 
or Organic life existing as a condition, and CER- 
TAINLY NOT OUTGROWN, therefore it cannot 
be a sin to give up to these desires. This is why, 
in the wordsof Jesus, "they had not had sin," and 
so we have no sin in ourselves — individual re- 
sponsibility — for, there is no sin for man, only in 
the form that sin exists in the form of man, and 
the Natural is contrary to Spiritual growth, as 
referred to by the remark: "the flesh lusteth 



42 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

against the spirit." Man — You are not respon- 
sible because "the flesh lusteth against the spirit," 
but subject to whatever the conditions may be 
thru the Thought as it works in you; whether 
"for good" or whether "for evil." Jesus was only 
"human" and experienced the same, therefore, 
Christ is not an individual or Jesus, but an Idea 
of life, since Christ could not exist in Paul if it 
were a FORM, for, Paul said "CHRIST LIVETH 
IN ME." 

In Genesis 2: 21-22, it Reads: "And the Lord 
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and 
he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed 
up the flesh thereof. And the rib which the Lord 
God had taken from man, made he a woman, and 
brought her unto the man." If taken meta- 
phorically, this is as absurd as the remark made to 
a child when a birth has taken place in a family, 
"the doctor brought it," and WE LIKE CHIL- 
DREN HAVE BELIEVED IT. But, here again, 
I claim thiat the first part of the book of Genesis 
illustrates the first state of Consciousness, as to 
morality and immorality and the beginning of 
Reasoning, and the above quotation proves that 
man was ignorant as to Creation in those days. 
The word "sleep" signifies this, or that HIS EYES 
were not opened to the facts of Creation, and also 
proves that Adam was not AWAKE to the fact 
that woman, or Eve, was his "HELPMATE," or of 
an opposite sex, for, before this state of Con- 
sciousness had developed, they were as ignorant 
of male and female sex as the different types of 
animals, or like them, except in form — having no 
Thought and Consciousness of Right and Wrong 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 43 

— Moral and Immoral — "Good and Evil" — God 
and Satan. The above chapter also denies the 
statement below in regard to making ONE from 
the OTHER. It says in Genesis 1-27, "So God 
created man in his own image, in the image of 
God created he him; MALE and FEMALE created 
he them." Also, "Heaven and the earth, and all 
things of the earth, and lastly man and woman, 
and God said unto them. Be fruitful and multiply." 
This last remark also contradicts the idea that any 
one sins, or, that Adam and Eve sinned. In fact, 
the author was at "sea" about Creation, and the 
different and contradictory remarks illustrate 
ignorance. "The eyes of them both were opened, 
and they knew that they were naked," illustrates 
they had now received a much higher knowledge 
of life than the animal, or natural way of appear- 
ing, therefore a Sense of things morally and im- 
morally. The same nude fashion exists to-day 
under the name of "High Art." It is amusing to 
read the objections offered, and by those very 
same persons upholding art, of such forms placarded 
on show bills in even less form of nudeness, yet, 
the tendency to suggest immorality or the animal 
and brute nature is more evident in high art than 
the other. This nudeness and immoral suggestion 
can be seen in the "art windows," and like all 
immorality under a name, as in Religion some 
things are overlooked and tolerated, so is this 
nudeness in the name of art respected. One 
Editor on commenting on this, or, as he writes: 
"because we come into the world without any 
clothes on, it is no more than right that we should 
be more true to nature and overlook the nudeness. 



44 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

and be just as morally inclined, even if we do ap- 
pear in a nude fashion, or as nature made us." 
I cannot understand how we could come in the 
world WITH ANY CLOTHES ON, nor why, 
because of this nudeness of nature we should not 
advance above the BRUTE in the clothes propo- 
sition, as well as any other occupation and 
Science. This should open our "eyes" to-day, 
to the fact that all such parts should be covered, 
because we are living in an age when suggestion 
has much to do with moulding the life of man, 
and our "civilized" methods seem to place us in 
a different attitude toward each other even as 
nature intended, or as lived by the less civilized 
and animals. It is the women who generally 
"make up," and if I believed as Mrs. Eddy says, 
and some others about being "tempted," I should 
say from experience and observation, that it is 
the women who "tempt" the men. Hallie Er- 
mine Reves did not realize how true she spoke 
when she said she "believes that each gown she 
owns should reflect some particular mood or flash 
of thought." Each dress is the result of some 
thought, and the wearer must also reflect some 
such "flash of thought" during the time of wear. 
Now, just the fact that man navigates erect, 
or upright more than the beast, is sufficient 
evidence that those parts should be covered. So 
we have persons, according to remarks by some, 
who would return to DEGENERACY, or the 
BRUTE, just because IT WAS and IS a natural 
condition, or because "we come into the world 
without any clothes on." We can overlook the 
"babe," for, it too, signifies ignorance and the 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 45 

animal, since it creeps and goes about like the 
animal, and is not Conscious of either "Good 
and Evil," or, is significant of the same condition 
as Adam and Eve before the Thought developed 
to a Knowledge of God and Satan. 

I remember on my summer travels in Pennsyl- 
vania when going thru the poorer districts of the 
mining towns, especially the more illiterate and 
foreign settlements, of seeing women almost 
nude and nursing infants, which reminded me 
very much of an old sow and her little pigs. Now, 
this is according to nature — the brute part of it — 
and if people call this a part of civilization, then 
I wish to disown civilization. If men and women 
would appear at home more like they see each 
other before marriage, there would be more re- 
spect held out for each other, since, environments 
Cause conditions of Thought, as well as Thought 
Causes a condition of environment. It is when you 
appear "untidy," and in a loose garment and the 
like, that the respect held out for each other before 
marriage begins to wane, because you appear 
more like the animal or brute nature, and the finer 
sense of taste and morality disappears at such a 
sight. This position is much like or characteristic 
of the sporting house. In this position you are 
more apt to try and satisfy the sensual appetite, 
which finally causes the feeling of dis-satisfaction, 
because one or the other cannot hold out to the 
full desires of the other, or brute nature, and like 
the brute or animal you wander off to satisfy this 
appetite in others, which finally ends in divorce 
and disaster for one or the other or both. Much 
is written about "the evil of men," and "the 



46 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

goodness of women," from what the author be- 
lieves is so, whether they have had any experience 
or not in these things; making observation alone 
the foundation. A good woman would naturally 
write about the goodness of woman. One lecturer 
said, "When you find a fallen woman, you will 
find a man back of it." Granting that a man was 
a party to it, we can hardly conceive the idea that 
the woman had no voice in the matter, vsince it 
always requires two to make a bargain, and gener- 
ally one or the other is loser. A woman who 
wishes to retain her virginity, will not sell her 
character to gain a living. I cannot agree with 
those who demand higher wages for women, that 
such will make better women. Money does not 
make one morally better, in fact, it is generally 
the source thru which a character is ruined, since 
it places one in an easy environment where the 
condition of one's life is more liable to be changed 
because of the want of something better to do, or, 
as one may say: "If you do not work, the devil 
will." If we study life as it is, we shall find that 
the tendency to-day, and according to the Darwin 
theory is to gain a living thru the easiest way, or 
avoid as much as possible any hard labor, just like 
the animal that wanders thru the forests. You 
seldom find a hard worker, a bad character, in 
fact it would not be characteristic of such, since, 
they know it would be much easier to gain a living 
by the immoral way. The evil is generally more 
seen in men and by men because it is "customary" 
not to be so hidden and disrespected as it is by 
women. It is more open to-day among women, 
because woman is more independent of man to- 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 47 

day, and not because as some write, it is a "grow- 
ing evil." Things are more "open" to-day because 
of the error coming more in the light than in the 
past, and not that it is worse than in the past. 
When women become more on an equaUty with 
men, or have "equal rights" in all things as they 
shall surely have, then will she be more independent 
of man and so be more respected by man and like 
men, and will not care what is said of her character 
than what is said of man's character, and one 
shall not be respected nor disrCvSpected more than 
the other. I believe in "equality" here as well as 
in many things, and I claim that the Evil may be 
as strongly impressed in the Conscience of woman 
as in man, but FEAR TO USE IT, withholds 
her to some extent. If woman HAS BEEN, or 
IS BETTER, it is because SHE HAS PROFITED 
BY THIS FEAR, and NOT BECAUSE SHE IS 
A WOMAN. 

When this Conscious State of Thought — "Good 
and Evil" — developed in Adam and Eve, we read 
the argument which came up between them. I 
call it an argument because it simply illustrates 
this in the following: "And the man said, The 
woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave 
me of the tree and I did eat. "And the Lord 
God said unto the woman, What is this that thou 
hast done? And the woman said. The serpent 
beguiled me and I did eat." Mrs. Eddy has very 
wrongly grasped the true meaning of these two 
verses. She points out that the woman, or Eve, 
"admits here" that it was "the serpent" who 
tempted her instead of the man, while the man 
claims — as she points out — "the Woman tempted 



48 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

him" — Mrs. Eddy making it appear that the 
woman— so she says, "IS MORE JUST THAN 
THE MAN," because Eve did not say "the man 
tempted her," just as if in that almost brute 
generation they could recognize any giveji qualities 
or unequality, when such requires years thru 
growth and knowledge. I will be more consider- 
ate, and as it says "JUDGE NOT," and place 
both man and woman on an equal footing by 
scientifically explaining IT WAS and IS neither 
the man as the individual cause and independently 
working, nor the woman as the individual cause 
and independently working that did and does do 
the tempting. It is the Evil Thought — "Ser- 
pent" — which tempts the other. That is, the 
Evil of one tempts the Evil of the other, then, 
the Evil or Thought is performed by both. There- 
fore, these two quotations refer to the forms 
of both man and woman, or, the remark made by 
Adam that "the woman tempted" him, signifies 
that man and woman embodies "the serpent" — 
Evil which tempts, and the remark of Eve that 
"The Serpent beguiled me," signifies "the Ser- 
pent" which man and woman embodies, or, the 
former remark ilustrates the body in the form 
of Spirit, and the latter illustrates the Spirit form 
of the body. "Judge not, lest ye be judged," 
illustrates it is the Good and Evil working, and 
that no man and woman should condemn another, 
or say as Mrs. Eddy refers to, that one is at fault 
more than the other. Jesus always avoided the 
individual when speaking in a scientific sense, but 
used the individual term when rebuking those 
whom he addressed, since, it could hardly be ex- 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 49 

pressed otherwise. In order to explain away the 
idea that God refers to a Being, or a Spiritual 
Being, or the "Unknown," I will use the word 
Thought to replace that of God in the common 
Bible quotations, and also reverse the sentence 
in order to show the Spirit significance of the word 
Thought as an Expression of MAN-ifestation. 
It says "God is Love." So, Thought is Love, and 
Love is Thought. "God is Good." Therefore, 
Thought is Good, and Good is Thought. "God 
is a Spirit," so, Thought is a Spirit, and Spirit 
is a Thought, because neither are material, and, 
in fact, all terms applied to the Unity of anything 
Mental, is metaphysical and not Physical. 

To preach and hold to the Thought of both 
Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell, as in general 
Theology is why we cannot destroy the Evil and 
Hell — both being ideas — since, the Evil and Hell 
will continue as long as they are recognized. Rec- 
ognition of anything is the life of that thing. To 
remove anything by force, other than by a method 
gained thru study and talent, is to weaken that 
talent and study in man, since man becomes unfit 
to cope with any obstacle in his way. Man only 
becomes man above the brute when he can say 
"I am master of the appetite." To remove the 
saloon, or anything created by education and 
form as a habit must be destroyed by an opposite 
education. Just as long as the "Movie" pictures 
the immoral suggestion, under the guise of show- 
ing up "sin," or "the underworld," just that much 
longer will immorality live, since, the Evil in man 
will associate with Evil when it is produced in any 
form, and so cannot destroy its own by continual- 



50 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

ly appearing as it does in any Movie or Play. So 
then, the only way to destroy a thing is not to 
further its recognition, because, as long as Evil 
things are Thought and talked of, they will exist. 
That the sexual, or "flesh" indulgence is the only 
real Evil and of which Jesus alluded to continually 
as a "sin," which retards spiritual growth is here 
significant by the word "Serpent," because it is 
the most loathsome and lowest type of animality. 
In the same chapter, and of which I have made 
mention of heretofore, it says: "And the Lord 
God said, behold, the man is become one of us, 
to know Good and Evil." Here we find that man, 
tho he was man in animal form heretofore, he now 
became ONE OF US, or Good and Evil— God and 
Satan. This also contradicts the idea that a cer- 
tain man at one time, or that man as he lives to- 
day is condemned or not hereafter, for doing that 
which he was and is unable to avoid under the 
then and even now existing conditions. Since 
KNOWING THEM, he is either condemned or 
not to that extent he is Conscious of them NOW. 
Meredith wrote: "We can live without love, what 
is passion but pining, but where is the man that 
can live without dining." This is not the "love" 
referred to in the Bible, for one is to satisfy self 
and passion, while the other refers to the act of 
Good — God in man. When the disciples said, 
"Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, 
that he was born blind?" Jesus replied, "Neither 
hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the 
works of God should be made manifest in him." 
This illustrates the fact that man is nothing but 
in name, or, the body (building) is not guilty of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 51 

sinning, but the Good and Evil are working, and 
thru the destructive principles of Evil termed sin 
is Good or God Known, in, that the blind could 
not manifest the Truth, since, if, "the blind lead 
the blind, both shall fall in the ditch." Look at 
the innocent child who suffers, showing no fault 
of the child, nor the opinion that God caused 
it to suffer for what its parents did, tho it was thru 
what the parents did thru Evil which caused the 
child to suffer, and shows THE WORK OF EVIL. 
Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, 
but not my words," and why not? because "my 
words they are spirit and they are life." In other 
words, our idea of "Heaven shall pass away," 
for, there would be no reason to the argument if 
the earth and even heaven would pass away, since 
there is no space in which it could fill, because 
all space is and has forever been filled in some form 
or other, therefore it had no "BEGINNING" as 
referred to in the Old Testament. But the Truth — 
Words shall live "forever," showing again that 
heaven and hell does not exist as another local- 
ity, besides, there would not be much pleas- 
ure in going to heaven if it shall "PASS AWAY." 
It reads elsewhere: "With flesh I serve the law of 
Sin," or, "If ye live after the flesh ye shall die," 
which, of course, is true also, but IMPOSSIBLE 
to do otherwise so long as such a condition exists 
in abetting the Spiritual Idea as it says, "If ye 
root up the evil ye will root up the good also." I 
agree that "God is the same yesterday, to-day, 
and forever," that is the Principle of Working is 
the same. The Principle of Light is the same, but, 
like the Perfect Light it requires Time in which to 



52 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

develop into the more Perfect way of Light and 
Life. So I say again, that man could not evolve 
into a more Perfect State above the brute or animal 
until Thought developed into a State of Conscious- 
ness, since there could have been no Soul-Sense of 
anything Higher, for, as in animal, it was like in 
man — Chaos and Darkness. From the very 
fact that man "must be born again," it is reason- 
able to hold the opinion there must be a FIRST 
BIRTH, which is due to the Natural Law of Evo- 
lution, which is "THE BEGINNING" of the 
SECOND BIRTH. The Old Testament illus- 
trates the ignorance of life, and Nicodemus could 
not understand how man "must be born again" 
because he looked to a natural impossibility in- 
stead of a mental possibility as Paul says, "Be 
ye transformed by the renewing of your minds." 
Emerson wisely wrote, "If John was perfect, 
why are you and I alive?" It seems impossible to 
define a thing unless there be a form of opposition, 
so the terms God and Satan are used, and you or 
man in the form of animal existence is referred to 
in Revelation as the "third part." Not that man 
in general, or that the individual — you — is at 
present to be made in glory, only that we are 
glorified in health according to our demonstration 
over the material conditions, but that "the prom- 
ise" referred to by Paul is made a period, "When 
ALL mortality shall have put on immortality." 
Mortality lessens in itself to be used as an ac- 
quisition in life as material, just as to-day we have 
less use for material — wire — as is illustrated in 
"wireless telegraphy." It says: "they without us 
could not be made perfect." "They," refers to a 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 53 

coming or future generation, for, if YOU were to 
become perfect LATER, there would ba no Reason 
— Sense — Soul to the above passage. The first 
settler in a foreign land clears the same of its 
forests, that a city may be planted, and a more 
advanced state of civilization reached, which bene- 
fits him in "PART" or SOME degree, Just as 
man has "part in the resurrection:" Some 
Knowledge as to the future life of man. It may 
seem HARD, or "A CROSS," yet, we as bodies 
must "BEAR IT" as Jesus did more than any man 
of his time because he had a knowledge of it, and 
therefore could be the only man to bear it, and 
even under ridicule as all FIRST Knowledge is 
ridiculed. Man as Satan, makes it "A CROSS" 
for the Man as God. 

Nay but, O man. who art 
Thou that repliest against God? 
Shall the thing formed say 
To him that formed it. Why 
Hast thou made me thus? 

It might be well to mention here that the above 
remark made by Paul is confined to Thought, 
rather than Creation, tho it APPEARS to refer 
to creating the material man because it says: 
"formed it." Man is no exception to the animal 
in Creation, but, because of a Conscience, he ex- 
presses himself sometimes in complaint of nature, 
and not necessarily because of complaint against 
God. The above verse illustrates the natural 
tendency to complain, and the absurdity of such 
complaint, when we are existing only thru a law 
that governs all things. Man is called " the image" 



54 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

because Thought gave it as the Highest form of 
Creation. If the Thought had developed to its 
full height at the time when the monkey developed, 
then, the monkey would have been "the image," 
or, the highest form of creation, and the man would 
never have existed, since, the Thought of such 
would have made it such, because the Thought 
would have developed a State of Consciousness in 
the monkey and ended there. While each forma- 
tion or creation of living and moving things are 
PERFECT IN FORM as to THEIR KIND, it 
did not show the greater development of Thought 
until man was evolved. This you will note places 
God or Thought as not Wholly Perfect, because 
a Lower or Evil Thought could here be derived 
from the animal nature. You will find only in one 
instance where Jesus speaks about God as a 
Creator, and then it has all to do with Thought 
and not the things created. This is in Mark 13: 
19. "For in those days shall be affliction, such as 
was not from the beginning of the Creation which 
God created unto this time, neither shall be." 
Creation signifies THE END of that which is 
created, when referring to things created, while 
"creation which God created unto this time," 
is the Evolution of Thought working "UNTO 
THIS TIME," since all things were created long 
before the time in which Jesus lived, and so could 
not refer to material things "UNTO THIS TIME" 
— his time, and so the Thought working from gen- 
eration to generation, or from "the beginning" 
of the end of creation. "Affliction" here, is the 
transformation the Evil is going thru by its aboli- 
tion being made by the Higher Sense of Life. In 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 55 

other words, as it says in Revelation: "The devil 
knoweth that he hath but a short time to live." 
In John it speaks of "all things were made by 
him," but this was the opinion and the words of 
John, and were so to John because he believed it, 
just as Paul and others have believed and said 
"God created all things." Jesus did not say God 
created all things," but " there is only one Good and 
that is God," therefore, God could not create "all 
things" else God would be the Author of Evil, 
or that which is opposed to Good — God, which is 
impossible, since, "ye cannot gather grapes from 
thorns." 

All forms and the primitive state of man are 
alike, or they did and could exist without what I 
term God and Satan, since Thoughts are a sepa- 
rate existence when concerning Good and Evil 
things. Because certain laws exist, and man 
frames the laws accordingly, you will say, "how 
can what you claim is the law be made unless God 
created things in nature." I say man makes law 
because of certain existing conditions that are 
derived from the conditions that exist, and not 
that man — the individual living, necessarily makes 
them. He speaks of them as made by him, be- 
cause they are expressed in this way, but, they 
would naturally be so and so, yet, they are again 
changed and seem to be changed by him when that 
condition cannot exist because of other conditions 
which come up more reasonable as a natural se- 
quence or following, which is due to Evolution, 
and not due to the individual direct. To ask 
"what causes Evolution" is to be ignorant of the 
fact that no law can remain in existence for a long 



56 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

period which conforms to degeneracy, or is op- 
posed to growth. You say "God Caused it to 
rain," but Science teaches us this is not true. 

"Whatever lowers the temperature of the air 
at any place below the dew point, is the CAUSE 
of rain. Ascending currents are caused by the 
heating of the earth's surface, for then the super- 
incumbent air is also heated and consequently 
ascends by its levity. Air-currents are forced up 
into the higher parts of the atmosphere by colder, 
drier and therefore heavier wind-currents getting 
beneath them, and thus wedgeways thrusting them 
upwards; and the same result is accomplished 
by ranges of mountains opposing their masses to 
the onward horizontal course of the winds, so that 
the air, being forced up their slopes, is cooled, and 
its vapor liberated in showers of rain or snow. 
Again, the temperature of the air is lowered, and 
the amount of the rainfall is increased, by those 
winds which convey the air to higher latitudes." 

I have given italics to the words in the quo- 
tation in order to impress the reader with the facts 
as to what is the CAUSE AND EFFECT, and 
WHY the "amount of the rainfall is increased," 
showing that God is not the Cause, and does not 
INCREASE nor DECREASE the rain when that 
class of persons appeal to an "Unknown God" 
by prayer to make a change. It is the same 
"Unknown God whom Therefore ye ignorantly 
worship, him I declare unto you" (Acts 17: 23). It 
is impossible for the Mind to conceive the funda- 
mental idea of how things are formed in the 
Natural form of Creation, because the Thought 
cannot conceive anything which it had no real 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 57 

part in forming. If the Mind or Thought was the 
Creator of organic life, it would be a matter of 
fact that it could unfold the idea of how it created 
things, just as the buildings, etc., are the result 
of thought and development by expression, and 
after their creation the thought expresses the idea 
of how they were created by what is expressed in 
the things created, or, man is able to unfold the 
idea of how the building is created. 

Here we may turn from the present subject to 
that which also deals with Evolution in that it 
points facts as given by Spencer, that Language 
did not originate at any time prior to nature, which 
should lead one to believe that God could not exist 
prior to nature, but, like Language is a growth 
correlative with nature. Spencer says, "Up to 
quite recent days. Language was held to be of 
supernatural origin. That this elaborate appara- 
tus of symbols, so marvelously adapted for the 
conveyance of Thought from one mind to another 
mind, was a miraculous gift, seemed unquestion- 
able. No possible alternative way could be thought 
of by which there had come into existence these 
multitudinous assemblages of words of various 
orders, genera, and species, moulded into fitness 
for articulating with one another, and capable of 
being united from moment to moment into ever- 
new combinations, that represent with precision 
each idea as it arises. The supposition that, in 
the slow progress of things. Language grew out of 
the continuous use of signs, — at first mainly mimet- 
ic, afterward partly mimetic, partly vocal, and 
at length almost wholly vocal — was an hypothesis 
never even conceived by man in early stages of 



58 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

civilization, — and when the hypothesis was, at 
length, conceived, it was thought too monstrous 
an absurdity to be even entertained. Yet, this 
monstrous absurdity proves to be true. Already, 
the evolution of Language has been traced back 
far enough to show that all its particular words, 
and all its leading traits of structure, have had a 
natural genesis, has been natural from the begin- 
ning. Not only has it been natural from the be- 
ginning, but it has been spontaneous. Going on 
without any authority or appointed regulation, 
this natural process went on without any man ob- 
serving that it was going on. Solely under pres- 
sure of the need for communicating their ideas and 
feelings — solely in pursuit of their personal in- 
terests — men little by little developed speech in 
absolute unconsciousness that they were doing 
anything more than pursuing their personal in- 
terests. Take the whole population of the globe, 
and there is probably not one in a million who 
knows that in his daily talk he is carrying on the 
process by which Language has been evolved." 

I repeat that the Mind or Thought really de- 
veloped thru Creation, or, that it could not develop 
without the natural, any more than man could 
express the idea of a building without the aid of 
materials used. It is also to our sense and thought 
that things look beautiful to us, since, to the animal 
none of these things can appear unusual as to 
beauty. It is only because the Conscience has 
developed a state of thought, that we can express 
things as beautiful, just as Adam gave the names 
to things so spoken heretofore; therefore, we should 
not WONDER AT THE BEAUTY OF THINGS, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 59 

for we are admiring only what we have developed 
to admire, just as we have developed to loathe some 
things, or "there is no good or bad in anything, 
but thinking makes it so." 

The aforesaid remark made by Paul is only A 
HINT, and illustrates those who claim to know 
so much about creation and yet complain by say- 
ing: ''Why did God make us So," or "if there is no 
other world and life for us hereafter why all this 
work and turmoil," or "why is it so and so," or 
"what are we created for," and all such silly rot, 
as tho it could be otherwise than what they are, 
when certain conditions exist which make it so, 
It is not for me to say why am I thus, because 
IT IS SO, OR, THUSLY, and "I am" as "I am," 
and will be what I will, because whatsoever the 
Conscious Thought IS, that IS the life "I am." 
It would be just as reasonable to ask "why is there 
a world?" It is not that the acorn can say to 
development, "Why hast thou made me thus," 
since it has no voice in the matter of Natural 
Evolution, any more than man has any individual 
voice in the Spiritual Law of Evolution. I use 
the term "this life," or "this world" because 
there is no other way in which to give an idea of 
two distinct ideas existing as one condition of life. 
So, this space will be changed from THIS WORLD 
to the OTHER WORLD when the Natural Law 
and condition is abolished — replaced by the Spirit- 
ual Law as Wholly existing here, instead of the 
two present Laws existing, and not the general 
opinion that the world is to be destroyed, for, in 
the words of Jesus, "I came not to destroy, but 
to save the world." Jesus spoke of the body— 



60 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

building — when he said "I can of myself do noth- 
ing." 

It is reasonable to believe that in Time, thought 
in all forms of life will be capable of greater pos- 
sibilities than we of to-day are able to enjoy. 
Perhaps there is no more evidence of this than in 
"Wireless Telegraphy." I predict the time is 
coming when there shall be no use for the Postal 
Service as far as correspondence is concerned. 
The proof of this is already discernible by Telepa- 
thy, or transmission of thought from one person 
to another. The proof that thought is transferred 
from one person to another in a crude way, or not 
in a distinct way and apprehension of a thing, is 
shown in the remark: "talk of the devil and he is 
sure to appear," because, the person making this 
remark has received a slight telepathy of the com- 
ing of such a person. If you are able to talk with 
a person by the wireless telephone, then, the only 
reason preventing one person talking with another 
at a distance, is because the law of attraction in 
this form has not developed, or we might use the 
term — discovered, yet, the word developed is only 
proper in the meaning that nothing exists in such 
form until it has developed. I understand "the 
secret of wireless telegraphy lies in the instrument 
that attracts." Why not then, believe that the 
secret which is a secret only because the idea has 
not developed, is the method that shall attract 
one person to another, and like in many other 
things shall take the place of material — wire — or 
postal means of carrying. I do not believe as 
some contend, that "thoughts go about in the air, 
landing here or there," or where no Conscience 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 61 

shall be receptive to them, since, no Power or 
Thought can be given to a person, and over an- 
other, unless the one person is willing to be in- 
fluenced by another. I would be hell, and a fool, 
if I were in a position to receive such, or allow 
other persons to send me Evil Thoughts. How 
absurd, — to think if some person held to the 
Thought that I am bad, or sent me such Thoughts, 
— I would be bad — making me subject to what 
other people Thought. I am subject only to my 
own Thoughts, and by being Conscious of the 
Thought and Power, I have Thought and Power 
to overcome the influences which may surround 
me, in the proportion that the condition is Thought. 
In order to illustrate that **I am" God and Satan 
— Good and Evil Thoughts, I repeat "ye are not 
of this world, even as I am not of the world, I 
and my Father are one." This is significant of you 
— man or Jesus as God. Then he said, "Ye are 
of your father, the devil, and the lust of your 
father, ye will do. He was a murderer from the 
beginning, and abode not in the Truth, because 
there is no Truth in him." This is significant of 
you — man or Jesus as Satan or the Unity of Evil 
in individual form of expression. Note here also, 
that Satan — "Father" — is in "the beginning," 
just as God — "Father" — is in "the beginning," 
and the same weight is here thrown upon the 
Father who is the Spirit of Good, as upon the 
Father who is the Spirit of Evil — the word Father 
in the quotation referring to God being written 
with a capital F, because the Truth is greater 
than the error. If these two remarks did not 
refer to you or man as the Expression of Thought, 



62 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

or as leading two lives in one, then they would be 
contradictory, as are all Bible quotations if you 
take them figuratively. Of course, I can under- 
stand where some who read these passages will 
say, — "these remarks were not delivered to the 
same persons, or at the same time and place, and 
therefore, must refer to different persons." You 
will always note in the religious life and view, a 
certain class condemning another or saying, "I 
am glad I am not as other men," and so they infer 
that the Evil remark could not allude to them, but 
to the other class. But Jesus did not necessarily 
refer to the people as one class being good and 
another class being evil, only in the meaning that 
he was illustrating THE TWO CLASSES at 
DIFFERENT TIMES— so the two remarks at 
different times. These I repeat pertain to Thought, 
because they are as it says "in the beginning," 
while you — "Ye" as being addressed here, were 
in the present, and only existing to-day as a body, 
but to-morrow as "John," because you were not 
in "the beginning," yet, existing as the Thought 
by MAN-ifestation, just as the good and bad 
construction of a building is the expression of a 
good and bad idea of construction as long as THE 
BUILDING STANDS. We will close this chap- 
ter by again saying, the only God there is, is Man, 
and the only Satan there is, is Man; but the time 
is coming when there shall be but one Law and 
One Life which is God — Man (man is plural here). 
To-day Man leads a DUAL LIFE, and all men have 
not been able to think the same, and then when all 
think the same, it is but the beginning of the end 
of the Natural condition, as it says in Revelation, — 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 63 

"but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 
and shall reign with him a thousand years." 
Jesus said "ye cannot serve two masters," which 
illustrates that all should hold the same view and 
one Thought, tho the general religious view and 
the idea of most persons of any view is that it is 
impossible for all to have the same view, and so 
we have many Religions, yet we are told in the 
following PLAIN WORDS,— 

"Now I beseech you, brethren. 
By the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that ye all speak THE 
SAME THING, and that there 
Be no diversions among you, — 
But THAT ye be perfectly joined 
Together in the SAME MIND, 
And the SAME JUDGMENT, 
As that of our Lord Jesus Christ." 



64 MENTAL EVOLUTION 



THE SOUL IS SENSE. 

"Jesus said unto them, thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy Soul, and with all thy mind." 

There has so much been said about "the Soul 
of man," that it seems almost impossible to raise 
with profit any voice above the many different 
views, yet, most of the opinions expressed by those 
who are supposed to be reliable and able thinkers, 
seem to end the same, or that there is an individual 
soul of man which exists after death. It is like 
the idea of most religionists who are preaching a 
different view of the future state of man, yet be- 
lieving they will all terminate into the same heaven. 
This to me is very much in error, tho it may seem 
pleasing because it relieves one of a certain re- 
sponsibility in finding the true way, since, it is 
so much easier to go by DIFFERENT channels 
or roads, because it offers an excuse for not find- 
ing and knowing the ONE way. We must come 
into the realization that there is but ONE ROAD 
which leads to the Truth in anything, as Jesus 
illustrates in the remark, — "He that entereth 
not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth 
up SOME OTHER WAY, the same is a thief 
and a robber." Like in my former remarks of 
the True God or Thought as living forever, so 
I will agree that the True Soul of man exists for- 
ever, but not in the same meaning as given by 
some Psychologists, who have aimed to reveal to 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 65 

us the True Soul. So I have defined the word Soul 
as that of the word Sense and will verify the facts 
by aiming to explain the same. That the Soul is 
nothing more than the Sense of things, or the 
Sense of a thing, and exists forever in meaning 
that any Truth exists forever, is shown in the above 
quotation, while the Soul or Sense of things Nat- 
ural can only be temporary as its name signifies. 
What reason would there be in saying man should 
"love the Lord with all thy Soul," if it pertained 
to the individual as having a Soul existing as an 
individual? The word "thy," here signifies you, 
or an individual, and the word Soul signifies Sense 
because of the word "all" thy in connection with 
the word Soul, since, "All" thy Sense should be 
used in the aim to destroy all thy Sense of the 
lower idea of life; therefore "all," removes the 
individual meaning of any single word or Soul, 
because it is not singular in meaning. Therefore, 
"thy soul" is thy Sense of life, and one should 
use "all" his Sense of life as to what constitutes 
the Higher Idea in order to reach the Idea. This 
Sense is also indivisible, but used in connection 
with the word "thy" in order to give the individ- 
uality of the meaning of the Unity of the Soul. 
To "love the Lord with ALL thy Soul" or Sense 
of a Higher Life, which Higher is Heaven because 
it is above the Lower or Earth Sense of life, will 
in Time, or at the end of Time, be the whole Soul 
and bodily form of life. The Spiritual Sense and 
Thought then, is the Soul of a thing which exists 
forever. Like all things, we are coming into a 
different view, or should view the word Soul as 
the meaning of a thing, and when that meaning 



66 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

is thoroly and properly used, it will develop 
such as the meaning signifies. And what is this 
different Sense, but a different Soul? Not that 
the Soul changes in its Truth of Being, but that 
the Idea or Truth of Soul changes in man as his 
Idea of Spiritual Life changes. The eternity of 
the Soul is but the existing qualities that live for- 
ever, and these are the only Souls which exist 
forever. There can be no individual Soul, because 
it is like as Eternal Thought or God, and the True 
Souls are the Unity of Spirit, yet, the Soul or 
Sense of a thing appears individual to man be- 
cause used by individuals. There can be no such 
thing as a ''Soul of man," other than that it exists 
for the use of man to be a quality thru which he is 
to make the most of life. 

Spencer in quoting Cieza says, ''Soul they called 
Sonccon, a word which also means heart," also 
Crantz tells us the Greenlanders believe in two 
souls — viz., the shadow and the breath." It re- 
mains only to note the progressive differentiation 
of the conception of the body and soul, which the 
facts show us, as in the last chapter we saw that, 
along with the growth of intelligence, the idea of 
that permanent insensibility we call death, is 
gradually differentiated from the idea of those 
temporary insensibilities which simulate it till 
at length it is marked off as radically unlike; so, 
here, we see that the ideas of a substantial self 
and an unsubstantial self, acquire this strong 
contrast by degrees; and that increasing knowl- 
edge, joined with a critical growing faculty de- 
termine the change." Emerson says: "Life will 
be imaged, but cannot be divided or doubled. Any 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 67 

invasion of its unity would be chaos. The Soul 
is not twin-born, but the only begotten, and tho 
revealing itself as child in time, child in appearance, 
is of a fatal and universal power, admitting of no 
co-life." 

To claim God or Thought is Eternal is to claim 
Soul is Eternal, but when you claim there is 
a Soul of man, you take away the Eternity 
and Unity of the Soul, or make an indi- 
vidual of the Soul. Jesus said: "And fear not 
them which kill the body, but are not able to 
kill the Soul; but rather fear him which is able to 
destroy both soul and body in hell." Tho men 
are able to destroy the body as in war, yet they 
are not able by such means to destroy the Sense 
or Soul, or Senses or Souls which the man embodies, 
since they are qualities that can only be destroyed 
by Thought. The first part of the verse alludes 
to what I have just said — as in war, are those 
"which kill the body," and concerns the individual 
directly, while the latter part of the verse refers 
to the Soul or Sense that is embodied by the form 
or individual, or, "fear him which is able to de- 
stroy both soul and body in hell," "Which" is 
Satan, or the Natural or Sense of error "which" 
rightly destroys the body thru disease, and the 
result is "both soul and body in hell." The man's 
Soul or Sense is lost with the body — that is, the body 
is certainly of no use to that man when his Sense 
of Reason is lost, and THEN IS, "both soul and 
body in hell." So then, the ONE, or "him which 
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," 
is Satan — the sinful Thought, and not as generally 
"believed" a God at one time lovely, and at another 



G8 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

time filled with hatred. The Sense of error which 
is Evil Thought, is that which destroys the Sense 
of Truth which is Eternal, and THEN AND 
THERE THE BODY ALSO, for, such a condi- 
tion IS HELL for that man, and not ''will be hell 
hereafter" for that individual. 

You cannot destroy the Truth, nor even the 
Error of a thing by destroying the body-building. 
The ignorant people had this experience with 
Jesus and others, and in fact, all growth of knowl- 
edge given by those who have made Science a 
study, have at one time or another fallen by the 
ax of those who were in power to wield it, but you 
will note the words of Truth live after the death or 
destruction of that body. The Christ Idea and 
Soul or Sense of a thing is never destroyed because 
you have destroyed the body. Man under the 
Sense and fire of Error, or Soul of Error is subject 
to diseased conditions, and therefore a fit subject 
for hell, because the condition of that body IS 
HELL. If your body is diseased, you can only 
lay the Cause in most and extreme cases to the 
Sense Of "HIM— Satan— "WHICH" is respon- 
sible for the disease, since the body can "TAKE 
NO THOUGHT OF ITSELF," therefore only 
subject to the Soul or Sense of Thought it embodies. 
Spenser says, "For of the Soul, the body form 
doth take, For Soul is form and doth the body 
make." It stands to reason in my estimation that 
only in the form of Soul as Sense could the condi- 
tion of the body be changed — formed, not as to 
"shape" — form of the body, but the conditions 
of that body. It being the Spiritual Sense or Soul 
that lives forever, such a Sense of Life Thought 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 69 

will bring about the Spiritual form of man. Jesus 
said "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy 
laden and I will give rest to your souls." This sig- 
nifies the Senses or Souls of those present, and those 
who follow in the same belief, because their past 
Sense of life has been and is a detriment to a 
Higher idea of life in living after the Senses of the 
Natural life. And tho referred to individuals as 
"ye," it does not infer that the word Souls re- 
ferred to the individual, yet, "your souls" can be 
referred to as having these Senses or Souls of 
life, and not necessarily lose its indivisibility as the 
Unity of One Sense of Life. In this Sense the 
Soul is Eternal, which, of course, is the Soul FOR 
MAN, and for ALL MEN, but not "OF" man. 
The time was when there was no sense or soul of 
anything, but, each generation unfolds by develop- 
ment, a much more faculty. It would be just as 
well to abandon this word "Soul" for that of 
Truth, if we could realize the Truth thru any other 
channel than the Sense, but, as the Sense of Truth 
can only be realized by what is termed the Senses, 
or the Sense of a thing, we can conclude the Soul 
inevitable. You will perhaps say, "Why not use 
the word Sense then instead of the word Soul, if 
the word Soul is a synonym to Sense." The word 
Sense can be applied in many and more proper 
ways of usage than the word Soul, just as the word 
Spirit is used in a sentence to express the same 
meaning as the word God, yet. Spirit refers to the 
word Satan also. The word Soul is separate from 
the word Sense when the word Sense is applied to 
individuals, from the very fact that one man is 
not directly responsible for the Sense which another 



70 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

man holds of a thing; therefore, Sense can be used 
instead of Soul because of the actual Truth of the 
indivisibility of the Soul. To my thinking, Soul 
is a synonym to Truth and man when it is applica- 
able to Truth and man, but when it applies to 
Error, it is synonymous to Error, from the very 
fact that there are different Senses of Truth and 
Error. So I say again, that some Psychologists 
write concerning the immortality of the Soul as 
that which is the Soul of each or individual man 
that lives forever. They "believe" and so write 
and preach from mere belief only, thereby making 
"THE WORDS OF GOD OF NONE EFFECT" 
HERE. One, Prof. Barnes who is very much of a 
"believer" said, "thinkers are a detriment to 
the people generally." This is the substance of 
one of his lectures I listened to recently, and Say- 
ing also, that "I expect to be up there looking 
down on the people." In an article recently, and 
because Henri Bergson said "the brain is merely 
the physical instrument of transmission of thought 
from the intangible mind, or Soul, to the physical 
body," that "it must be admitted that the con- 
tinuity and evolution of individuality accompanied 
by all the usual manifestations of the thinking 
being, even to intelligible conversation, is possible 
and even probable after the disintegration of the 
material body." We could agree that "the brain 
is merely the physical instrument of transmission 
of thought," and having admitted this, you must 
also admit that the thought cannot exist without 
the physical, or as he says below; "the complete 
independence of thought and matter." He says 
"the only reason man has to doubt of the life 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 71 

hereafter is the visible, our bodies. And the object 
of the death of the material body. This reason 
vanishes immediately the individual realizes the 
complete independence of thought and matter." 
But how easy they who claim "the individual 
soul lives on," always in some way "side track" 
their "knowing" by having a little "doubt" 
on their view as probably incorrect because "the 
visible our bodies, and the object of the death of 
the material body." The "object of the death of 
the material body" is simply under a Natural Law 
of Life and Death, or a growth and decay, or the 
Law of Natural Evolution in that you plant seed 
it will grow, and you harvest, and replant that it 
will grow, which is the "REASON" for "THE 
VISIBLE OUR BODIES." If Psychologists will 
only give in to the views of Physiologists, and vice 
versa or as both being instruments to the two 
Laws Working — Spiritual and Natural — until one 
or the other is abolished thru the work of the other, 
there would be more harmony along religious lines. 
In other words, to again use the phrase of Spencer: 
"We can only speak of matter in terms of Mind, and 
we can only speak of Mind in terms of matter." 
When we speak of a separation, we lose the signifi- 
cance of the meaning that the Christ as the Idea 
is the Soul or Sense of Life that should be lived here 
as Jesus taught and lived to the best of his ability, 
and it cannot be lived here, if it be taught that 
such, or the Spiritual Life shall be lived in another 
world, or that we should prepare ourselves to 
live it in another world, other than that it is sepa- 
rate from the physical because of its Spiritual 
meaning. The idea too, that the Soul or Spirit 



72 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"leaves the body," is absurd, and when they 
tell you this, they too are "seeing things" from 
mere "belief." We should not claim any real 
separation in a way, but know that the body is 
that Spirit or Soul Expression so long as this or 
that body exists, just as the Thought is mani- 
fested by the body. We know the Soul and the 
Thought as the body is known. We see the Soul 
and Thought of man by the action-body of that 
man. If you could see and "believe" the Spirit 
or Soul leaves the body, then you could observe 
and believe the Truth leaves the body. It would 
be absurd to "believe" you could make a diagnosis 
of Truth, other than it is expressed by what exists 
in Truth. Man is just as much of Truth as he 
Expresses, and Truth is just as much of man as it 
is expressed. Because man embodies Spirit, and 
a Sense of Truth and Error, it is not to be con- 
strued into a fact that they are IN THE BODY, 
but are THAT BODY MEANINGLY. You may 
easily form the opinion, or believe that Spirit 
leaves the body, if you could hold the idea that it 
was, or is in the body. I claim all there is to Spirit 
is what is Expressed, and all there is to Soul is the 
Sense of a thing expressed, and all there is to man 
is what he expresses in the visible, because there 
is no such thing as that which is invisible. You 
take a piece of paper and drop it where the wind 
is, and it will move and sway according to the 
wind, and thereby expresses the movement of the 
wind, (Spirit) but, the WIND IS NOT IN IT— 
THE PAPER, (body). Yet it embodies the wind 
because of its movement. If the wind were in 
it, then would the wind be subject to control by 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 73 

it, and thereby would seem individual, just as 
man seems individual because he expresses life 
as an individual. Neither is the paper IN the 
wind (Man cannot be IN Spirit) but it becomes 
A PART of the wind, or we may say, is the wind 
in itself, and like man, is the individual expression 
of the Soul-Spirit, and is that Spirit in itself. When 
the paper becomes absorbed (burned or decayed) 
or not a part of the wind by expression of move- 
ment, it is just the same as man who is not able 
after death (decayed) to express the Spirit, the 
Soul, the Thought or God of Life, yet, the Spirit, 
etc., is seen by other bodies by Expression, just 
as the wind continues to move and is seen by other 
material bodies. 

Jesus said ''the wind bloweth where it listeth, 
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but cannot 
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is 
every one that is born of the Spirit." In other 
words, no man can define Thought or Spirit, 
other than what is Expressed in life, just as the 
wind is not definable only as it is seen by its direc- 
tion, and cannot especially go anywhere, nor come 
from any place, therefore, it neither cometh nor 
goeth, but IS. So IS every man that is born of the 
Spirit — the same action as that Spirit by body 
manifestation. While Soul, Sense, Spirit, etc., 
are not defined the same as solids, they are no less 
components. In speaking of the Natural, Jesus 
said, "No man can see God at any time and live." 
That is, no Natural Soul or Sense of a thing can 
stand before the test of the Spiritual Soul or Sense 
of Life and live, — man being used as the form of 
either Sense Working. If the above referred to 



74 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

man individually and specifically, or figuratively, 
it would contradict the saying: "Blessed are the 
pure in heart, for they shall see God." The "pure 
in heart" cannot avoid seeing God, because God 
is seen only as the pure in heart is manifested. 

It is recorded in the Bible that Jesus said to the 
"Doubtful Thomas," "Blessed are they that have 
not seen, and yet have believed." Jesus was not 
living, tho we find "he said" these words. I 
might mention here the fact that mesmerism, tho 
not known as such in those days, played a very 
prominent part in the life of Jesus and latter days 
of the disciples. The above remark seemed to 
come from Jesus because of a SELF mesmeric 
state. This illustrates their OWN THINKING— 
of the eleven disciples — directed to one — Thomas 
who could not see as they believed. It was a kind 
of ventriloqual expression of their thought com- 
ing from the vision of Jesus, and it certainly was 
a "Vision," since he — Jesus could no more exist 
after the Natural death, than any other of his 
time, or the present time. This was a very good 
"doctrine" in those days, or any "adulterous 
generation SEEKING A SIGN," or looking to 
the future. I think we are advanced to-day be- 
cause we have more men like the "doubtful" 
Thomas. He was the ONLY MAN OUT OF 
TWELVE, who did not believe in visions, or in- 
sane ideas, and so, had no fear of expressing his 
feelings when he did not understand a thing, 
and this is all that this verse illustrates in reality, 
tho some biased mind may "believe" Jesus said 
these things. Because of the eleven holding to 
the one view, may have induced Thomas to yield 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 75 

to their idea so as to show no discord among them, 
and thereby strengthen the teaching. The other 
disciples had heretofore shown their ignorance 
and cowardice from the very fact that Jesus HAD 
PREVIOUSLY "REBUKED THEM MANY 
TIMES for their LACK OF UNDERSTAND- 
ING." They dare not "ask any more questions," 
so they merely "believed." This verse illustrates 
how true in life it is, or how ignorant people would 
remain if there were no Thomases to ask questions 
when in doubt. The Professor talks on a subject 
before a class of students and afterwards ques- 
tions them as to their understanding of the sub- 
ject. They exclaim "we Know," ("believe"), 
but they do not rise to explain why they know, yet, 
one who is not afraid to admit his ignorance, arises 
from among them saying, "I do not understand." 
The Professor proves by showing thru a demon- 
stration of the subject, instead of by words or 
parable only, and thru this one — Thomas, are all 
in the class made wise to it. I will agree that 
Jesus appeared to the disciples in a VISIONARY 
WAY, and that "the resurrection" but signified 
the then visionary idea of the Truth. This vision- 
ary sight was due to the constant thought of seeing 
Jesus, for, if it were true that Jesus appeared, we 
might well say the ground taken by Spiritualists 
is a fact regarding "Spirit manifestation," etc. 
But as Jesus "CHOSE" his disciples, and as all 
who accept such are of the same temperament, 
we can conclude they were and are easily brought 
under such a state of seeing, which, of course, 
was and is a good thing for them and all who live 
under the age of superstition and view of the future, 



76 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

for, "where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise." 
In Luke 12: 19-20 we read,— "And I will say 
to my soul, soul thou hast much goods laid up for 
many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be 
merry. "But God said, unto him. Thou fool! 
this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then 
whose shall those things be, which thou hast 
provided?" Here we have in the first quotation, 
the illustration of Conscious self. "I will say to 
my Soul" — man Conscious of an Evil Sense, or a 
selfish Evil claiming its own. In the next verse we 
have the illustration of Man being Conscious of 
the opposite, since, we find the Higher Thought 
replacing the Lower Thought by the expression — 
"thou fool" when the Higher appeared. How 
truly this illustrates the Natural Sense or Soul of 
man as he thinks only of self, and like all thought 
of a future pleasure and heaven as a locality, he 
is, at any time, liable to leave behind him the op- 
portunity to live and enjoy life as he travels. We 
hear people say as the above illustrates, — "I will 
work hard and accumulate for so many years, and 
then take my ease." They little realize the over- 
burden they are heaping upon themselves, for, the 
result is sometimes felt, because the overwork 
and too much thought for the future has crowded 
TOO MANY DAYS INTO ONE DAY. Then 
too, "thou fool," this night might be your last, 
and "those things" which you have stored away 
will not benefit you. We spend too much time 
and "worry over our children," as tho they, and 
even those who are related otherwise, have no 
chance as we have had in the world to make a 
living. We are a detriment, when we do not allow 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 77 

the same talent to work in those following as 
it works in us. This is the Natural Sense or Soul 
of Reason taken from the child that should de- 
velop in it. 

If, according to Spenser, "The Soul is form and 
doth the body make," it is my understanding 
that the Natural Soul or Sense of Life is the body 
manifestation of this Life, and unavoidable be- 
cause of the present and former Natural Condition, 
and to remove the same as Cause, in a way, we 
should in order to bring about the Spiritual body 
manifestation only, use the Spiritual Soul or 
Sense of Life as Cause, which, of course, can only 
be accomplished thru the Thought Sense thereof, 
as Jesus says, "with ALL thy Soul, and with all 
thy mind" — Thought. Paul speaks of this, or I 
define it as such, when he said, — "The first man 
Adam was a living Soul; the last Adam WAS 
made a quickening Spirit. "Howbeit that was 
not first which is Spiritual, but that which is 
Natural; and afterward that which is Spiritual." 
The TWO Adams represent Matter and Spirit — 
"the first man Adam" was Adam after the flesh, 
which had a different "Soul" or Sense of Life and 
lived accordingly. "The last Adam" — called 
Jesus, and Adam because of the flesh relation — 
represents the Spirit or Mental, and living more 
accordingly. Note how the word "IS" is used 
by Paul. He does not say nor claim that God, or 
the Spiritual WAS Spiritual or FIRST, because if 
God was the origin or Creator, it should read, 
howbeit, that IS not first which WAS Spiritual, 
but it says, Howbeit, that WAS NOT FIRST 
which IS Spiritual. The word "is," following the 



78 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

word "was," is significant that the Spiritual 
"WAS NOT FIRST." 

In Revelation 16: 3, it reads, "And the second 
angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it be- 
came as the blood of a dead man : and every living 
soul died in the sea." In this verse we give the 
definition of Angel as that of Thought, and "the 
sea" as that of man or "nations." "Blood" 
signifies essential life, and "Soul" signifies Sense. 
The Truth which the "vial" or vessel of under- 
standing contained, is given — "poured upon the 
sea" — to the people, and became as the blood — 
life — of a dead man," because it — the Truth ap- 
peared as "dead" to man, but now received as 
the "blood" — life of man, and therefore caused 
the destruction of the Natural Senses, or Souls 
of life, for, "every living soul" or Sense of things 
died in the sea — minds of the people. If you still 
hold to the idea that you have an individual Soul 
to lose or to retain; it should be silenced here, be- 
cause "EVERY" living soul died," which illus- 
trates no chance for any living being or soul to 
live. But it is "every living" Sense of a material 
nature shall be abolished or "die" or be destroyed 
when it shall have run its course which shall be 
at the end of Time when the Spiritual Sense shall 
be Absolute. 

Emerson says: "Because the Soul is progressive, 
it never quite repeats itself, but in every act at- 
tempts the production of a new and fairer whole." 
Now, if the Soul or Sense of a thing was settled, 
or did not advance as Time and Thought advanced 
— developed, we might "believe" or even think 
each individual man has a Soul. But, my Soul 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 79 

to-day (not mine either), is not the Soul or Sense 
of to-morrow, only in the degree that it Reasons 
and lives the same to-morrow. Now, if the average 
man or individual had the work to do, we could 
not conceive of such Perfection, because man 
generally views from things that appear material 
and in form as it is to-day, rather than accept 
the Universal Thought development. He believes 
because he sees man to-day in one light, that he 
should always remain so here, but change hereafter, 
when really there is no other place for him to work, 
since, "God is not the God — " Work "of the dead, 
but of the living." Job said, "My Soul chooseth 
death," because the Evil or flesh he had lived after 
worked in him to such an extent that he suffered 
disease of the flesh, and so preferred death, for, 
the Material Sense or Soul could only release 
itself from suffering by death, since there could be 
no suffering in that body after the Sense of life 
became extinct in such a bodily form. We can 
now see or should see by experience and observa- 
tion ("Judge by the signs of the times") that such 
forms of life in disease are not the true forms of 
Spiritual life. The asylums and such like are but 
the land-marks to a thing that should not stand. 
It is time we should not care to experience these 
things ourselves, in order to prove them, but 
should learn thru the experience of others that 
HERE and NOWHERE ELSE is Perfection 
reached, or, as Emerson says "here or nowhere 
is the fact." Persons will then say, "if I ever ar- 
rive at such a condition wherein I have lost my 
Soul — Sense of Reason, I trust I shall not be placed 
in such asylums, but be given some potion that 



80 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

will end my days; for I shall be useless and an ex- 
pense to the public, and care not to take the chance 
of regaining my Sense," which is the only Soul 
that can exist and can be lost, and which is lost 
to that man only as a bodily existence, the Good 
and Evil Souls — Senses live on until the Evil 
Sense is destroyed by the Good — God Sense. 

Let us deal here with what are termed the 
different Senses used, and we shall find that the 
one Great Sense of Reason is the Sense referred to 
in the Bible of Revelation as that of the "Seventh 
Angel" or last Sense to be reached. Not but 
what we have had reason in a way for some time, 
just as we have had the Sense of this or that, 
but that they have not always been defined as 
such. We have believed there were but "five 
senses, namely, — Taste, Smell, Touch, Hearing 
and Sight," but these are not now considered 
complete, as there are now what may be termed 
"Sensations of Organic life" and called the "Sixth 
Sense." It includes the feeling of Hunger, Thirst, 
Suffocation, etc. So then, we have the Sense 
of Taste, the Sense of Smell, the Sense of Touch, 
the Sense of Hearing, the Sense of Sight, and the 
Sense of Thirst, which are the Six Senses, and are 
embodied or formed by man and also animals 
having brain and nerve. Such animals and the 
primitive state of man have these Senses and 
need have no Conscience and Thought in order 
to have these Senses. Man, after the Thought and 
Conscience developed, received the Sense of Right 
and Wrong, Good and Evil, God and Satan, there- 
fore the Sense of Reasoning which I define as the 
Seventh Sense and the Soul, which can be termed 
the Thought of Good and Evil working. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 81 

Jesus said, "For what is a man profited, if he 
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own Soul? 
or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul?" 
In other words. What profit would it be for me to 
gain riches, and then lose my Soul or Sense of 
Reason, and live in some asylum? Neither can a 
man give all these riches which he has gained for 
his Soul, or the return of it, or ''give in exchange," 
to regain the Sense he has lost, because this is 
something money cannot buy. Here again we 
note that by using the term "his own soul" refers 
to the Reason of that man, because he has lost 
his Sense by living "after the flesh" — over sexual 
indulgence, and the "abuse" of nature; therefore 
the only person to suffer by the loss of his Reason, 
and a fit subject for hell HERE, since, he is in a 
state of not being able to benefit himself or those 
with whom he comes in contact. Man must of 
himself be this Truth, for, by living the Truth, he 
retains the Soul or Sense of Reason he might have 
lost. Jesus said concerning this Truth, "For 
whosoever will save his life shall lose it, — and 
whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find 
it." That is, he that shall be Conscious of the 
Spiritual life, shall not be Conscious of the Natural 
life, or "lose HIS life," and he that shall be Con- 
scious of the Natural life, shall not be Conscious 
of the Spiritual life, or "will save his life shall 
lose it." To be Conscious of God is to save the 
Soul to that extent by Reason saves the Soul of 
them thereafter, since, by propagation of a Good 
Sense are they who inherit by propagation subject 
to the things inherited, which is to say the more 
the Higher Sense or Soul is developed, just that 



82 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

much more of God or Good Thought exists. Many 
a parent, if they have not seen their own Soul- 
Sense lost in themselves, have seen it lost in them- 
selves by their offspring. Some of the offspring do 
not inherit so much of the Sensual, because the 
Sense of Evil is not so prominent in the parent 
Conscience at one time as another, nor is it the 
same always during pregnancy. The child in- 
herits these evils if the mother has any desire of 
some evil during pregnancy, — also, this may be 
while the child is nursing. Neither does the whole 
fault lay with the mother for the hereditary and 
certain evil and diseased conditions of the child, 
since the seed of the father may be infected with 
the germ of evil and disease. One case I note in 
particular was a woman, who, while in "carrying" 
gave birth to two boys at two different states of 
feeling or desire, and both turned out in life — after 
maturity^ — to be just the type she had held in Con- 
science during pregnancy. She had proclaimed 
for one during pregnancy the love of lust and the 
other a fondness for books — she, having a liking 
for books and reading the same almost continually 
at the one time, while at the other time, she 
thought more of sexual desire. This is her state- 
ment, and I believe it, because it had been my 
observation with other cases of a like nature. A 
case comes to my mind now, of a woman demand- 
ing whiskey while she was in a pregnant state, to 
such an extent that the husband thought it best 
to give in and so procured the same and she in- 
dulged in it like one in great thirst for water, and 
the result was she became very sick. As soon as 
she regained her normal condition, she did not 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 83 

care to drink any more, in fact it became sickening 
to her thought. The result was that after the 
child became of age, it could hardly bear even the 
sight of liquor. If the mother had not been satis- 
fied with her liking and taking of the whiskey 
when she wanted it and then and there destroyed 
the appetite for it, the chances are the child would 
have "hankered" for it later in life. This is a 
case of hereditary, and we can give many proofs 
of its work, which, tho we find many who believe 
to the contrary because of their interpretation 
of certain passages in the Old Testament, or, as it 
says in Ezekiel, 18: 2, ''What mean ye, that ye 
use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, 
saying. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and 
the children's teeth are set on edge?" We can 
agree that if "the father" kills a person, that his 
child should not suffer for it, but, it will take on and 
suffer certain diseased conditions of the parent. 
So the Soul is under the same hereditary influence 
as any form of life. We read where Richard said, 
"My Soul and body on the action both," and we 
find many Richards after his making. This Soul 
is not the action of a Good Sense, but the action 
of an Evil Soul because it acts in the work of de- 
struction. It also shows the "action" of the Evil 
Sense by the action of the "body," or "BOTH," 
or that the body acts with the Sense, or each IS 
AS THE OTHER, therefore, in the words of 
Spenser, "the soul is form and doth the body 
make." We spea.k of the Soul as immortal, and 
we speak of man as immortal, and I agree that they 
are immortal, because " they" in the form of Evolu- 
tion exist, but not in the individual term as ap- 



84 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

plying to YOU. When you say "Shakespeare is 
Immortal," I agree that Shakespeare, Plato, 
Socrates, Jesus and the like are Immortal, because 
their words of Truth live forever, or are Immortal, 
but not that Shakespeare, Plato, Socrates, Jesus 
and the like are Immortal. My parents are Im- 
mortal in so far as their words of Truth live, be- 
cause their words live by me, but my parents are 
not Immortal. Let us remember then, only that 
which is Truth is Eternal, or that God as Thought 
is Eternal, and Immortal, and by so doing we shall 
be PARTAKERS, since, we have "PART IN 
THE RESURRECTION"— SOME KNOWL- 
EDGE of building up a Soul and Body that is 
Eternal now in the Principle of Thought, but shall 
at the end of Time be embodied as such in the 
Visible, or as a Whole Soul which is Eternal, in- 
stead of the present dual life of the moral and 
immoral Soul or Sense of Life. 

"He may live without books — what is knowledge 
but grieving? 
He may live without hope — what is hope but 

deceiving? 
He may live without love — what is passion but 

pining? 
But where is the man that can live without 
dining?" 

Meredith. 

He that loseth passion, shall grow in Knowl- 
edge, since passion hath no time for Truth. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 85 



THE RESURRECTION IS KNOWLEDGE. 

"I am the Resurrection and the Life." 

It has been in the preceding chapters that we 
arrive at the idea that God and Satan are Thought, 
and that the Soul is Sense of Thought which will 
bring about the final results, with a Knowledge 
that it is so. That the Resurrection is nothing 
more than Knowledge, is found in the above quota- 
tion, since its name can only be associated with the 
word Knowledge instead of a belief that it refers 
to a person being resurrected hereafter, yet, that 
person on whom the Knowledge is given, shall be 
resurrected above that which is below, therefore, 
"the Resurrection." "I am the resurrection and 
the life." (i.e.) It is thru me (I am) that the Re- 
surrection — Knowledge of a Higher Life shall be 
known. How absurd and void of meaning this 
remark would be, ("I am"), if you should apply it 
to the idea that Jesus was "resurrected from the 
dead" when he here was teaching what the mean- 
ing of the resurrection would do, and not that it 
applied to an after life, as is the general opinion 
put forth. Jesus made the above reply, when the 
same opinion was put to him about man living 
or being resurrected later in life. Martha said, 
"I know my brother shall rise in the last day." 
But Martha should, and all should know that then 
and there — here — this Knowledge — Resurrection 
should take place. This knowledge may be "griev- 
ing" to that person as it must have been to Jesus, 



86 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

since, to a certain extent it is almost impossible to 
go against the inevitable and known existing con- 
ditions of a majority, because you are generally 
subject to like conditions, and because of the 
majority in ridicule. 

Perhaps the most intricate of all passages and 
the one subject innermost in man is that which 
concerns the resurrection. The reason I suppose 
is the natural tendency to be always looking and 
thinking of the future. We give more time to 
seeking than doing, for, after we have sought and 
found we fail to act, but keep on seeking in a way, 
and always overlooking that which seems an ever 
present fact. It is not because we are unwilling 
to act, that our progress is always hindered, but for 
fear of going astray, or to find sometimes our ex- 
pectations at the end much less satisfactory to us 
because anticipation is generally greater than realiz- 
ation. This to me is a proof and very illustrative 
of a Truth, that it is not v/ise to look and anticipate 
for the future, other than that which seems a 
reasonable present in the "hope" of gaining a 
better end. Like Meredith, I do not approve so 
much of the word "hope," to an end that may be 
impossible, and as it is generally used, but some- 
times use it for the want of a better one in explana- 
tion. To hope for a thing will not bring it, be- 
cause hoping for a thing cannot produce it. It 
is the WORKING FOR A THING which will 
produce it. "Hope is deceiving" because you may 
hope for something which is in direct contradiction 
to Progress and Reason, or what may not be bene- 
ficial to you nor those with whom you come in 
contact. So, if you work for, instead of hoping 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 87 

for, you are more liable to receive a thing, yet, 
do not even work for a thing that may be un- 
reasonable at the end, as you are now hoping and 
working for a life which does not concern you now 
and here. There are quite a few hoping for, and 
even working for a something they shall not re- 
ceive in the end, which same is due to believing in 
the resurrection as pertaining to another life after 
this, but as they will not know the difference after 
death, and find some comfort in the same while 
living, let them "hope" and "believe" so long as 
they do not continue as of old, in forcing and draw- 
ing others in the same net. Hope is used like the 
words "Love" and "Knowledge" — very often 
misused — and tho the word Knowledge may be 
used correctly, it does not always bring happiness, 
as Meredith says — "it is grieving" to the person 
using and living it as he sees it is so. The ignorant 
person, like the animal, drifts along with circum- 
stances, taking no thought of Progress and making 
none, and yet receiving at times, more happiness 
out of life than the average person with Knowledge. 
The majority of people go about their work each 
day, never dreaming of the Truth, while the Truth 
silently works its way to the surface when it be- 
comes more recognized and cannot be lost to sight, 
or "hidden" as it has been heretofore. People 
with a Knowledge of better conditions which can 
be reached thru this Knowledge, suffer under the 
load of trying to convince others of a better 
life, and also of being held up to ridicule. Jesus 
and Paul suffered by having the Knowledge of the 
fact that the Spiritual life was and is to be lived 
here, and because they could not continue to live 



88 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

the life that was and is more universally lived. To 
convince persons to live as he taught was the work 
of Truth, but it was impossible then, and is im- 
possible to-day to live such, in a universal way or 
wholly. "Knowledge is grieving" until it becomes 
universal, because until then, like in every walk 
of life, the burden is borne by one or a few, as in 
the case of Jesus regarding his Knowledge — Resur- 
rection of a Higher Life. It is the universally 
living, or alike, which produces the harmony in a 
community, whether it be right or whether wrong, 
or whether it be Good or whether it be Evil. Great 
men have suffered, and even been put to death — 
Jesus was of this type — because they spoke before 
their time — had Knowledge of so and so — yet, such 
Knowledge as they taught in their day is being 
more universally believed and lived to-day. Jesus 
knew it would be thousands of years before the 
Knowledge he had of life would be lived or even 
thought of, therefore, he prophesied the "second 
coming" as necessary in order that the TRUTH 
he taught then would be more definitely under- 
stood and believed so as to work out the problem 
of Being. "And it came to pass, as he spoke these 
things, a certain woman of the company lifted up 
her voice, and said unto him. Blessed IS the womb 
that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast 
sucked. "But he said, Yea, rather blessed ARE 
they that hear the word of God and keep it. " For, 
behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall 
say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that 
never bare, and the paps which never gave suck." 
While this refers to that period wherein the Natural 
conditions shall be at an end, or "the Christ" 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 89 

life shall be reached, we can see a glimpse of the 
fact that we are now approaching the beginning of 
that period, or it is to come under "this generation," 
since, it seems that about every two thousand 
years, there have been wonderful changes in the 
life of man. "History repeats itself" in that to- 
day is the beginning of "plagues" because of the 
over sexual indulgence and "abuse" has placed 
man and woman in a condition where they should 
not marry, unless for companionship, because of 
the offspring that would be brought forth in the 
world only to suffer in being subject to the worst 
forms of disease. Perhaps, the "influenza" is one 
of the "plagues," and if our eyes were opened to 
the fact that this disease is only the RESULT, 
we would understand the CAUSE, and like many 
other diseases caused by less sinful thoughts, we 
would begin to educate ourselves how to avoid 
them, rather than continue to listen to "worn 
out doctrines," such as "the weather, food," etc., 
as the Cause. The Physician assists one by re- 
lief and apparently cure for the time being, but the 
disease, if one continues in the indulgence will re- 
turn, tho they are cured because during treatment 
they lessen the indulgence which allows the body 
to build up. 

If there had been a rigid examination of "our 
boys" before they went to war, we would have had 
a very small army in the field, and we should now 
listen to the voice of Truth, and understand why 
so many were subject to the "flu" and other dis- 
eases, and why there are so many "at home" who 
are subject to the plague and other diseases. The 
fact that some cases of the "flu" develop into in- 



90 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

sanity, while many develop into partial insanity, 
is proof that the disease is one of many that can 
be traced as having its origin in what is termed 
evil, or the "abuse" of nature. We are forcing 
nature in our aim to satisfy the appetite for food 
in the form of flesh, etc. We are so taken up with 
our selfish life, that the germ of corruption is in 
the air, and it is no wonder we are subject to most 
anything. I can understand why, when I lived 
more after nature that I was a "hearty eater," 
and felt worse, while now I eat one-fourth as much 
and feel better. I know persons who believe so 
much in nature, or "this life," that are "gluttons," 
and many are of advanced age, so it cannot be 
said "they are young and growing" and need the 
food to assist their growth. But I do not claim all 
of these persons with large appetites are necessarily 
partakers of over sex indulgence, since, food will 
build up that part of the body which is governed 
by the organs of that body, and the organ favored 
will demand food to sustain it. It need only be 
mentioned here that the "abuse" of nature like- 
wise has its effect on the dog and other animals. 
This is why some dogs "go mad," while others are 
irritable and "snarl and bite" tho the latter is 
more characteristic of their nature. But, are we 
ready to accept the Truth? I think, hardly. How 
truly Kipling wrote, "a man who tells the Truth 
can live on a dollar a day." In other words, a 
man who tells the truth would be compelled to 
live on a dollar a day, because he would not be 
employed, nor would he be listened to in this age 
of deception. It is claimed by the Physician that 
this or that disease is "catching." How did the 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 91 

FIRST ONE "CATCH IT?" Granting that it 
is catching in one sense, is due to the fact that the 
body was in a condition to catch it, or anything 
"suggested" to the sinful and diseased mind. A 
healthy person could not catch anything, even if 
it were suggested to them, tho they will eventually 
succumb to the law of growth and decay. 

About twenty-five or thirty years ago, some of 
the best Physicians and Surgeons with whom I 
had been under treatment, entertained "no 
hope" for me. One of the number suggested that 
I take up Christian Science treatment. He had 
a sister in the east who was a Christian Science 
Practitioner, and was successful in treating all 
forms of disease, and suggested that I consult 
one of that following. Like many others, I ob- 
jected and was at that time very much opposed to 
such a form of treatment. However, as a "last 
resort" I consented and commenced taking treat- 
ment. I was relieved at once, and Why? because, 
I was told to eat anything I wished. Heretofore 
I was told not to "eat this or that." None of them 
agreeing on anything alike, or, one would say "do 
not eat meat, but you could eat this," while an- 
other would say "do not eat this, but you could 
eat a little meat." The result was I was living on 
"wind," when my body needed food. It was not 
long before I was able to resume work, under the 
"Science" treatment, besides, I have lost but 
several days since, on account of sickness in all 
these years, and now in my fifty-sixth year feel 
younger than I did at twenty. The teaching being 
practically taken from the Bible, I soon under- 
stood the meaning of "take no thought for your 



92 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink." 
Also, "eat what is set before you and ask no ques- 
tions for conscience sake." Again, "know ye 
not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to 
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey." 
While this latter remark refers more to what has 
been said in regard to man being subject to Good 
and Evil Thoughts, or "whether of sin unto death, 
or of obedience unto righteousness" as given in the 
same sentence, it also alludes to the fact that man 
is subject to what he believes in regard to the way 
and what you eat, as well as a belief in anything 
will influence you accordingly, for, "as ye believe, 
so be it done unto you." Holding to the belief 
and thought that "cabbage" will hurt you, or, 
any other food, makes a man "SERVANT" to 
that belief. While I had many times "cursed the 
day" when my parents were married, I became 
reconciled by the following parable, — "Neither 
hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the 
works of God should be made manifest in him." 
In other words, there is no sin to be forgiven, nor 
condemned, only in the way that one is unfortunate 
to be the offspring of those who have lived under 
certain natural conditions to that extent they are 
diseased as a result of the same. They are ignorant 
of such laws and so marry irrespective of whether 
they are healthy or not, so the parents and off- 
spring suffer accordingly, yet, if in due time they 
recognize the cause, and know by Man-ifesting the 
Higher Thought — God, the works of this Thought 
will be "manifest," and thereby destroy the Lower 
Thought — Satan to a certain extent. It has been 
my observation that there are thousands doing 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 93 

the same as my parents, since there can be no law 
against it, neither should be, because one should 
be allowed to drift, and must drift along with their 
Conscience, yet, the people should be educated 
along these lines of thought. I know many 
mothers and fathers whose parents should not have 
been married, yet they talk to their offspring in the 
way of marrying some day, which, if they only 
knew the condition of their parents, and their own, 
they would oppose talking and upholding mar- 
riage in regard to themselves. While Christian 
Science has been a help to me, yet, I dropped the 
study some fifteen years ago, because I could not 
get the entire Knowledge of the words written in 
the Bible until I reached the view I now entertain. 
It varies somewhat from the fact that there is no 
God to look up to, nor separate from Man, nor 
outside of the belief that YOU are the '*GOD OF 
THE LIVING," tho You are also the Satan of the 
dead while the Thought works along material 
lines. I was rather amused recently in reading 
an article on ** Christian Science Psychosis," a 
term used by Doctor Williams "to designate a 
definite type of mental aberration." As far as the 
religious idea is concerned, Religion as a whole has 
in somewise or other, been, "of mental aberration." 
But the doctrine of healing is significant of the 
time of Jesus, and thru this healing was and is 
the Knowledge to be reached as to the Real Cause 
of disease. We find in general religion to-day 
as in the time of Jesus the same opposition, and 
those who profess to be the disciples of Jesus are 
opposed to Christian Science. Jesus said, "And, 
as ye go, preach, saying. The kingdom is at hand. 



94 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, 
cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely 
give." "But when the Pharisees heard it, they 
said, this fellow doth not cast out devils, but by 
Beelzebub the prince of devils." "And Jesus knew 
their thoughts, and said unto them, Every king- 
dom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; 
and every city or house divided against itself shall 
not stand: "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is 
divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom 
stand? "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, 
by whom do your children cast them out? there- 
fore they shall be your judges." This last remark 
is significant that it is thru the evil methods that 
we have been and are trying to cast out evil. 
However, we will grant that the Matter Physician 
is necessary under the general present conditions 
of belief, just as the sporting house and other 
evils are necessary under present beliefs which have 
much to do with conditions, and such will not be 
changed until man and woman shall be educated 
and live adversely to the present methods of life. 
Some Physicians admit that "medicine will not 
cure a disease," but soothes the nerves in the form 
of a sedative, until healing takes place in the form 
of building up the body thru nourishment required 
to build that which was weakened. 

In Christian Science, the teaching of the power 
of Thought in its God-Thought form, will soothe the 
nerves until the body responds to the healing as 
given above. While the Doctor criticises this 
treatment, yet he admits of a case where the 
patient became "morally, physically and mentally" 
healed. To my idea one could not advance above 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 95 

being morally, physically and mentally relieved, 
unless in monetary matters. Doctor Williams 
cites "four types of persons," and apparently ad- 
mits there is some relief by saying "Persons with 
an incurable affliction who, having tried everything 
else without benefit, seize upon this last straw 
with entirely pardonable avidity, and frequently 
most comforting results." But, he gives the "fifth" 
group by illustrating a case where a woman had the 
"far away expression," which v/as "scarcely dis- 
guised at any time." "It is quite impossible to 
fix her attention completely in conversation, even 
when the topic is of utmost importance to her." 
Then he goes on to say some of the "four types 
are somewhat wabbly in mental equilibrium." 
Granting that this may be true with many fol- 
lowers of Christian Science, I wonder why he 
evades the truth as to most of those who adopt his 
method of treatment, and as I have observed like- 
wise "wabbly in mental equilibrium," as well as 
having " the far away expression," which have been 
noticeable even in some Physicians, unless the sub- 
ject was very important. If the believers of 
Christian Science, and the believers of Physical 
Science were perfect in mind and body, there need 
be no further advance toward Perfection. But 
the Physical Scientist is slowly ebbing away, since 
he is hard pressed in finding some way by which he 
can entirely eradicate disease. In fact he cannot 
lessen disease, because it is "up to" Mental 
Science in the form of a Thought in Mind to de- 
stroy what is the real cause of disease, and when 
this is accomplished, that will be the beginning of 
the end of disease. 



96 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

With all precaution thru the function of rules 
laid down by Sanitary Laws, there still exists a 
growing tendency of increased diseased conditions. 
This alone should prevail with the average think- 
ing public that while they should respect cleanliness 
for the sake of that which is pure and clean, there 
must exist a something far superior to that rule 
prescribed by Sanitary Law thru which disease 
shall lessen its course. It is a notorious fact that 
the Law of Evolution cannot forever be hindered 
in its progress by methods outgrown, as in all 
lines of thought to-day there is a tendency not to 
accept "old doctrines," and the present manner in 
dealing with disease and its cause as of old cannot 
be recognized as correlative to the Law of Evolu- 
tion. Especially is this true with the Evolution 
of Thought as it deals with the moral and immoral 
directly, instead of the present way of treating the 
physical directly, or almost wholly as a Physical 
Science. 

Contagion is the farce thru which immorality 
works to cover morality, since it opens no avenue 
to better conditions, and immorality does not wish 
to convict itself of the fact that it alone is the great 
fundamental cause of disease in general. No Law 
of contagion can effect the Law of morality, neither 
can a real moral person be the object of conta- 
gion, else all would become diseased when a case 
of small-pox existed. It is a poor rule that will 
not fit a fact at all times and places. That is, if 
one person "catches" a thing, there is no reason 
why, under such a Law laid down by contagion, all 
persons when exposed should not catch it. Permit 
me to say that vaccination has never been proved 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 97 

to be the means of preventing a person from being 
seized with small-pox, while it has to the contrary 
been proved to bring about a diseased condition, 
tho not the First Cause. We preach of germs and 
what they produce, while we applaud the Physician 
who injects into our system a germ of disease called 
a "vaccine point." If the vaccine does not "work" 
the first time, we fail to understand we have a 
healthy body, and so inject another until the flesh is 
unable to ward off this diseased germ, and so the 
body that was in a healthy state, has taken on a 
partially diseased condition. It is because the 
body is in an unhealthy state that the "first" 
injection "worked" the first time, and in many 
cases results in disease of some kind. 

It is related that a certain man was healed after 
he had lived under the Law of what is termed sin. 
He was not questioned as to his cleanliness, nor 
asked if he had been exposed to "the weather and 
contagion," neither was he told to be careful of 
what he ate after being healed, but was told to 
"go and sin no more, lest A WORSE THING 
come unto thee." You will note that the words 
"sin no more" signify that indulgence of the brute 
nature caused the disease just healed, and that to 
repeat this indulgence after being weakened by the 
indulgence already indulged, would necessarily 
produce a worse form of disease. We are likewise 
told, "not that which goeth into the mouth de- 
fileth a man; but that which cometh out of the 
mouth. This defileth the man." In other words, 
an Evil Thought must eventually result in an act 
of Evil. When we learn that over indulgence 
either in what is termed "natural" and unnatural 



98 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

acts, which are the foundation and fundamental 
principles upon which the body responds to act 
as their agent, focusing the result of such acts; 
we have reached the knowledge of cause and 
effect, or that like produces like. Then, instead of 
treating the result in the form of disease, we will 
treat the cause, which treatment will be to replace 
the Evil Thought with that of a Good Thought, 
tho it is almost impossible to treat on such a sub- 
ject at present, because the public is not willing 
to abandon a so-called pleasure for the Truth, and 
so they still ask in the words of Pilate, "What is 
Truth?" 

We claim now that tuberculosis is contagious. 
With more than twenty years of observation and 
experience, I have found no case of tuberculosis or 
a light touch of the same, but what could be traced 
to an over indulgence in either the natural or un- 
natural acts, either that the patient was the par- 
ticipant, or the offspring of parents who indulged 
to excess in the same. Because the parents are 
weakened under this load, so are the children as 
a rule weakened thereby, and so tuberculosis as 
well as other diseases are hereditary. If tuberculo- 
sis is contagious, why in all cases under observation 
has not the wife caught the disease? or the husband 
caught the disease? when they have been known to 
live four or five years with the disease in its worst 
form — living in the same room, sleeping together, 
yet, the other remained sound and healthy? 

Paralysis is even more noticeable as a result of 
this way of living. Is it any wonder then that we 
have "infant paralysis?" It is amusing to hear 
elders trying to convert their children, when the 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 99 

parent mind is the first to be considered, since no 
law of growth will permit the idea that the younger 
shall exist prior to the older. Remember, the child 
is but the reflection of the older, tho in a milder 
form or in a smaller way, as it brings out only what 
exists in yourself — here you see yourself as in a 
glass — besides, it should not be considered that 
they are as able to control the feelings and the like, 
as one older, yet in your temper you "yank" them 
for their temper. Evil applies to all alike, never- 
theless, we excuse ourselves by saying, '*I am older 
than you, child." Only a Perfect teacher can be a 
Perfect example, so be careful, lest you convict 
yourself. It is time the old mythological doctrine 
of "save the rod and spoil the child" be abolished, 
unless we wish it raised upon ourselves, that is 
"save the rod" and spoil the man, that the child 
may be spoiled also. We can now apply a more 
modern parable very appropriately. Jesus said 
"cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and 
then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote 
that is in thy brother's eye." Also, "for a good 
tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit, neither doth 
a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." If your 
child (fruit) be not perfect, look to yourself for the 
imperfection. 

Judging by the present evilmindedness of the 
younger generation, it is about time to look within 
ourselves, rather than to the child, and not" with- 
out," to find the really injurious uncleanliness. 

The Sanitary inspector visits a "sweat shop" 
or any place under the fire of inspection, looking 
here and there with the idea of "cleaning house." 
He believes he has finished his work of inspection 



100 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

after the general routine, and of course he has so 
far as Sanitary Law is concerned, the only thing 
of which he has any knowledge. The factory may 
have needed all the cleaning out and other things 
imposed upon it by the inspector. But he did not 
make an inspection of those employed, only in a 
casual way, and then only believing their "careworn 
look" and unhealthy state was due to the filthy 
environments. Especially, is the result of evil- 
mindedness more noticeable in the expression of 
boys and girls between the age of sixteen and twen- 
ty. In the enforcement of our Sanitary Laws we 
forget, like ''the Pharisee," that the first necessary 
step toward "house cleaning," should be to rid 
the mind of all uncleanliness, ("To eat with un- 
washed hands defileth not the man") else, "Ye 
make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but 
your inward part is full of ravening and wicked- 
ness. "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that 
which is within the cup and platter, that the out- 
side of them may be clean also." The outside of 
the body will be clean — free from the worst forms 
of disease and "pimples," if the inside — Con- 
sciousness — be free from Evil; while the mild 
forms of disease are a natural condition due to the 
laws of Decay in the form of Nature. To any one 
who has given special attention to persons employed 
in a factory, or at whatever position in life, they 
need only to observe the fact that back of all their 
"careworn look" and unhealthy bodily conditions, 
you can trace the same as a result of evilminded- 
ness, and I dare say in your own experience it is 
often so, if you wish to put it to the test and ac- 
knowledge it. It is more noticeable among the 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 101 

poorer people and class of workers or those who 
receive little for their work, because they are 
naturally poorly fed; and, since food is a necessary 
acquisition to the building up of that waste and 
organ made void thru over indulgence, so, they are 
naturally less able to stand excessive indulgence, 
and so likew^ise are they the object of disease ac- 
cordingly. Show me a person who is nervous and 
irritable, and I will show you a person of the above 
type. This solves the problem of the different 
blood diseases, since temper curdles the blood as 
an acid curdles milk. The mind is the big factor 
in the case, because it decides the kind of disease 
when the body is in a condition to be subject to the 
disease named, or, you read the "symptoms" 
of a disease, and you begin to feel that you have 
the case referred to. 

I remember several years ago while traveling 
thru Pennsylvania, there was occasion to visit 
the resident district of a mining town of about 
twenty thousand inhabitants. More than two- 
thirds of the population lived in unsanitary en- 
vironments, and in fact some localities, especially 
the alleys termed streets, were really nauseating 
because of the odor emanating from the filth. 
Even its main streets were strewn with waste and 
the like, which, I was told, was seldom carried 
away. Here was a town thoroly saturated with 
what the average person would call filth, never- 
theless, a one-time Chief of Police with whom I was 
stopping, informed me that the town had the least 
per cent, of sickness in the State, and was on record 
to that fact, which is a good proof that filth is not 
the ORIGINAL CAUSE of disease. 



102 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Let us make a diagnosis of the case in another 
way. For an illustration, we have a radius of one- 
fourth of a mile, and within this location reside 
fifty persons with the best sanitary conditions. 
We have the same radius in another location very 
thickly populated — even one thousand would be 
a low estimate if we considered what is called "the 
tenement district," and of course this is not 
thoroly free from filth. Ten cases of small-pox are 
reported from this district, and naturally enough 
a great cry goes up that it is because of the un- 
sanitary conditions. But have we taken into con- 
sideration that, according to the population of the 
two places, there could exist twenty cases in the 
latter, and yet the per cent, of sickness would be 
the same, or, there need be no case of sickness in 
the former. Really, we have more disease to-day 
than when there was nothing known about San- 
itary Law, germs, and "swat the fly." It is neces- 
sary to give the report some credence because it 
represents a good and necessary work, since, 
"cleanliness is next to godliness," and some are 
sincere workers, besides, it requires such a report 
to bring forth the necessary funds to carry on the 
work, the offices of which are so readily sought 
and filled by willing workers. I have just read in 
our daily press: — "Contagion in the city shows an 
increase." Rather amusing, isn't it? Here we 
have a city claiming — and I believe it to be, one of 
the cleanest and most "Sanitary" of any in the 
State, yet, contagion is on the increase. And it 
is the same old similar excuse of "mortals" not 
wishing to "know the Truth," as the article reads 
in part, "continued heat during the last week is 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 103 

believed to have an effect," as tho there were no 
avenues by which to escape diseased conditions; 
unless there be "ANOTHER CHANGE IN THE 
WEATHER," forever dodging the Truth, for, 
"to know the truth will make you free," since, if 
we had to depend on the weather, and such like, 
there would be little hope for the better. 

Is it not time then in which to teach another 
Law laid down by the greatest teacher of his time? 
Hardly, since it would convict ourselves in that 
we would have no excuse to continue in what we 
call pleasure, or, "If I had not come and spoken 
unto them they had no sin, but now they have no 
cloak for their sin." But we could listen in part 
to this Truth and at the same time enforce our 
Sanitary Laws in reference to cleanliness, and by 
so doing we shall "Render therefore unto Caesar 
the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the 
things that are God's." If Jesus had not revealed 
and also predicted a Higher Idea — Christ Life than 
what is termed "Natural," or the Lower Idea — 
Adam life then and now lived, it is safe to say that 
ere this time the whole generation would have been 
idiotic from abuse of nature, because the lower 
instinct and brute nature was rampant, as the 
words in many parables signify, and as is illus- 
trated by the words of Paul, in Romans; 1 : 26, 27, 
of which some of the hereditary conditions exist 
to-day. Jesus was the first and only one to recog- 
nize this, and so he gave up "HIS LIFE," THE 
NATURAL WAY OF LIVING, and therefore 
"DIED FOR US" in order to "SAVE THE 
WORLD" from such conditions. You need go 
no farther than your neighborhood, and I may say 



104 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

your own household, to hear remarks as a result 
of either existing Evil and its practise, nor is it 
confined to the elders, but natural enough is 
handed to the children, in fact it is the bulk of 
conversation in many groups of the old and very 
young. We have thru experience failed to form 
a Knowledge of "The signs of the times" referred 
to by Jesus, tho, as he says, "Ye can discern the 
face of the sky" thru observation. We apply 
Physical Science when we should use Mental 
Science, for, and thru our experience and obser- 
vation we ought to be able to "discern" the cause 
of disease by "THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES," 
because of the asylums and hospitals which stand 
as a land-mark to it. 

Ignorance in everything is being replaced with 
Knowledge. People who thru ignorance have been 
and are paying most all their living to religion and 
the like, thereby starving themselves while those 
few to whom they give their all are living in luxury, 
are becoming wise to the fact that it is not neces- 
sary to buy the Truth, or to erect expensive mon- 
uments to it. Jesus taught the multitude and 
said "the poor have the gospel preached to them," 
which is evidence that only "well to do" persons 
were allowed to attend Church, besides, it illus- 
trates the fact that he could not obtain a hearing 
in the Church. We might here turn our attention 
to "alms" and "prayer," as they have been so 
much misused in taking advantage of the ignorant; 
I say ignorant, because if they had a Knowledge 
of the Truth and to what this money was really 
used for, they would not give it. "Take heed that 
ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 105 

them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father 
which is in heaven." "Therefore, when thou 
doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before 
thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and 
in the streets that they may have the glory of 
men, Verily, I say unto you, they have their re- 
ward." How truly this illustrates the form of 
"giving" as we see it to-day. When man gives 
alms "to be seen of men" it is generally for OUT- 
WARD SHOW, therefore, they have "THEIR 
REWARD" because that was all it was given for. 
If the alms are given with a spirit of Good for the 
cause, it IS "the reward of the Father," because 
it is in harmony with the Father — Thought of 
doing a Good act. You will note here how synony- 
mous all the words, such as Father, Thought, 
Good are applicable to the Cause of an act in 
connection with man acting accordingly. Why is 
it that Societies work thru this channel of OUT- 
WARD SHOW for receiving help? Simply be- 
cause they know the weakness of mortality — man 
in the sight of man — thereby incriminating them- 
selves and those women whom Societies employ to 
work man in gaining alms, since it is an evil 
method by which they secure help ACCORDING 
TO THE ABOVE PASSAGE, and not because I 
think and say so here. They — the heads of So- 
cieties, etc., are pleased to "sound a trumpet" — 
allow it to be seen of men when in the act of giving, 
if they can gain money by so doing. I remember 
when attending a Church recently, that, during 
the hour for service, a large amount of money was 
asked for by the minister. One man gave a thou- 
sand dollars, and then the minister "SOUNDED 



106 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

A TRUMPET" by saying "Mr. Jones gives a 
thousand dollars," and then, more trumpets were 
sounded, for, Mr. Jones and others, were not the 
only persons present who wished notoriety, or 
outward show, which, according to Jesus, is 
hypocritical to the Spirit of almsgiving. The 
woman who "gave all her savings" only il- 
lustrates the Spirit of giving, but does not signify 
that man should give if he is not able to do so, 
or unless he wishes to do so, tho he is taught in 
that light, and sometimes made poor, while those 
who receive the money, invariably use it for sel- 
fish aims, besides, no man with any reason can 
understand why he should be a slave to poverty 
to become a Christian. The kind "to be seen of 
men" is worked in the streets by Societies, also. 
Hospitals, and some of the latter even go so far as 
to label man with a tag, like unto a dog tax, and 
yet, we are told not to let "the right hand know 
what the left hand doeth." "They have their 
reward." The free giving by this method is the 
cause of increased "Relief Societies" which are 
springing up continually, since many persons are 
pleased to hold the position in office at high salaries 
that are connected with them, and they are about 
the only persons generally benefited. It is con- 
ceded that only about thirty per cent, is used for 
"charity," while the seventy per cent, is paid out 
for the expense of maintaining the Charity Or- 
ganization. The business firms are so annoyed by 
the solicitors for this and that, that they are be- 
ginning to cry against it, and yet they dare not 
speak their mind too freely, for fear of their busi- 
ness being impaired by what these persons may say 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 107 

if they do not give to some things they are opposed 
to. These persons know this; and so continue in 
their hypocrisy — hypocrisy because they know 
they are taking advantage of the business man's 
situation, who assists things sometimes that he 
would not assist otherwise, because it may be 
against his views, and to support anything con- 
trary to your view may be to hinder Progress. 
Just so long as man is greedy — and we are now 
living in the age of greed — for gain of money and 
power over his fellow man, just that long will 
Charity exist, and no longer, since, to recognize 
more equality in the distribution of profits, so 
will such equality and more social relations remove 
charity, because charity will have no chance to 
exist where such social economics exist. Only 
when we come into the understanding above the 
view held by the ignorant, as illustrated by the 
woman when she said: "yet the dogs eat of the 
crumbs which fall from their master's table," 
then, will charity begin to cease. The ignorant — 
poor — will not look up to charity as their end, but 
to the conditions which cause such an end. 

To-day, the individual begger seeking help from 
persons on the street, even when he really needs and 
ought to have assistance, is arrested, while those 
in the same business, but under the guise of some 
charity organization, are allowed to go unmolested. 
In speaking of Charity, Emerson rightly says, 
"There is a class of persons to whom by all spiritual 
affinity I am bought and sold; for them I will go 
to prison if need be, — but your miscellaneous popu- 
lar charities, — the education at college of fools; 
the building of meeting-houses to the vain end 



108 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

to which many now stand, alms to sots, and thou- 
sand-fold Relief Societies; — tho I confess with 
shame I sometimes succumb and give the dollar, 
it is a wicked dollar, which by and by, I shall have 
the manhood to withhold." 

We have here found that "almsgiving" is not a 
help to spiritual growth, and I will follow by giving 
a few hints as to prayer used to as much profit, or 
that audible and knee praying has "received its 
reward," because it is nothing more than a "noise" 
and a stimulant which only benefits like a medicine 
as a stimulant benefits the sick person at THE 
TIME TAKEN, but does not really cure the sick 
any more than a prayer will cure the sinful. The 
word prayer in its true definition is DESIRE. I 
believe this is also the definition given by Mrs. 
Eddy. Jesus said, "this kind goeth not out but 
by prayer and fasting." My definition of the word 
"fasting" is abstaining. Therefore, the only 
"prayer and fasting" is a DESIRE TO, and an 
ABSTAINING from a thing which will bring 
results. This prayer and fasting refers to the 
sexual indulgence, and is the REAL FLESH to 
have a desire to and abstain from in order to be 
healed of the conditions referred to by Jesus in this 
passage. In other words, the one wishing to be 
healed had indulged too freely of the brute nature, 
and it was therefore necessary to hold aloof from 
such if he wished to be healed, or, there was no 
chance of being healed unless he did give up the 
flesh, which is not the flesh of animals to abstain 
from. Jesus said, "Pray to your Father in secret" 
because Desire to be as the Thought, is significant 
that your wish is fathered by the desire, and 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 109 

"secret" because within, or that all things are 
secrets until observed as without, or in the world, 
and proving the inefficiency of audible prayer 
because Thought only works as it IS Thought. 

There is no reason then in praying, but, having 
the DESIRE TO BE Good or God, necessarily 
confirms the idea that you will be "WITH YOUR 
FATHER,"— the Truth of ONE BEING in ONE 
THOUGHT, and you receive the answer, because 
you will not "ask amiss," as you always do when 
you pray — you miss the true mark. 

We will now turn our attention to "the day of 
judgment." Again, we employ the word Resur- 
rection, because, to have a Knowledge of the day 
of judgment, is to know it refers to the day of un- 
derstanding which we have now reached, there- 
fore, "the resurrection" and understanding that 
we are not to be judged according to our works 
here, at some future time. To illustrate the fact 
that judgment can be defined as understanding, 
we will place a prisoner in a court room. The case 
is argued, and before the jury can pass judgment, 
they must have a thoro understanding of the case, 
or the case is understood and judged then and 
there, or on the same day, or at the same time, so, 
we are judged and condemned hourly in some form 
of punishment. The prisoner is not always judged 
and condemned as he may expect to be, nor are 
we judged and condemned hourly as we may ex- 
pect to be, or as it looks to us sometimes when we 
see a person is not caught at once and condemned 
as we think he ought to be dealt with, which is 
simply a matter of changed conditions, and what- 
ever the conditions are, he can only be subject 



no MENTAL EVOLUTION 

to it, whether it be freedom, or whether it be bond- 
age. 

The day of judgment then has its connection 
with the "second coming," because in the day of 
understanding we have a better judgment of 
what the second coming refers to. To illustrate, 
we will say that a prophecy is fulfilled by the 
tendency to believe in the thing prophesied, as 
thought develops by holding in conscience the 
thing to be. Even the individual when told by the 
ordinary ''fortune teller" that they are goin^ to 
experience that or this, or marry a certain person, 
will come true sometimes. They are told a certain 
type of person will marry them, and so this thought 
is continually with them, and being conscious of 
the same it works to an end. It begins to work 
more as soon as some person of that type appears 
(the same person might have appeared heretofore, 
but could make no real impression because no 
special thought of them), and they begin to plan 
to meet, because such was told them, and such may 
continue until the prophecy come true. The 
prophecy, or "the second coming" is the general 
opinion, and therefore has been an aid in bringing 
about the second coming, but not in the form of 
Jesus, but in the form of a better understanding of 
what Truth is. So then, the "second coming" 
in one Sense is possible NOW, because of the Sense 
of what Truth is in its final meaning, but not in 
the same meaning — form of Jesus, since, it cannot 
"COME BY OBSERVATION," as they and some 
of us have believed. As stated heretofore in re- 
gard to "disease," the Truth could not be accepted 
in the time of Jesus when many persons came to 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 111 

him to be healed, which was done in order that he 
might impress them with the true doctrine. There- 
fore, it would be necessary for the "second com- 
ing," — That is, history would repeat itself in that 
there would come "plagues" and the like thru 
living "after the flesh," and again, people would 
seek the Truth more than in the time in which he 
lived. You ask why your belief will not come true 
as to "the second coming" of Jesus in the form of 
"the Christ," and I reply, "because your belief is 
the result of a selfish Thought." In other words, 
you look for a person — "a sign when no sign shall 
come" — and a person or yourself to be benefited 
by the same. Yet, your belief has had much to do 
with the Truth, or second coming, in that it seems 
to require about so much of self or nature, to aid 
the Truth as Paul said "MY LIE" is a help to 
the truth. Your surprise will be and is that the 
second coming refers to the same Truth Jesus 
taught is for ALL to "overcome the world" as 
Jesus did, and Paul made reference to it when he 
said "I wish all men were even as I myself." It 
is said " the son of man cometh not by observation," 
or, "the kingdom of God cometh not by observa- 
tion," therefore, " the son of man" is but the Truth 
concerning man, for you could not connect these 
two passages in any other way, because both 
"come not by observation," — in the form of man. 
My definition of the word "Kingdom" is Spirit, 
and it will apply to any passage where kingdom 
is used. 

If we would consider more that which builds 
up a character for man, instead of looking for such 
a character in man, or that he ought to be so and 



112 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

so irrespective of how he should go about to ob- 
tain such an end, we might reaHze some change 
for the better. But we condemn each other; look- 
ing at a character no worse than our own, and also 
excuse ourselves with the idea that we are all 
"BORN IN SIN," thereby making little, if any 
chance for improvement along the line of reforma- 
tion. 

Now the fault lies in the fact that man has been 
unable to grasp the true definition of himself, be- 
cause he looked too much at what is created in the 
Physical or animal alone, rather than to the 
Thought and Mental as the Cause which either 
builds or destroys the character of man, and then 
builds or destroys the body also. We read books 
and books on "Physical Culture," and see as a 
result of this, a "parade" of "fools" as Emerson 
would say, half naked and running on the main 
thorofares. It is a "display" of the Physical, but 
shows a weakness of the Mental. This might have 
been practical years ago, but the Physical is on its 
"last Legs" in trying to impress the world that 
it still holds a great prestige, for, the age of Men- 
tality is fast outdoing it, in that it is the greatest 
power with the least exertion. A true Metaphy- 
sician watching the growth of the Mental, cannot 
escape the fact that the Physical is fast losing its 
significance. He is above his fellow physical, in 
that it is not a wonder to him that man is con- 
tinually losing his physical power — the muscles, 
since he is growing less in need of them. It does 
not seem a miracle to him that the pyramids of 
Egypt cannot be moved to-day by a machine, since 
the machine has not developed that power as yet. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 113 

nor that it was impossible for man to place them 
there by physical means, because they were 
stronger physically than we are physical and 
mentally so. It is only because we are getting 
weaker physically, that it is necessary for the 
growth of the machine which is the result of Men- 
tal growth. Neither does this signify that we are 
weaker, but really is significant of greater power, 
since the Mental will replace the Physical with 
greater strength as we look to it more than we do 
to the Physical. 

Man has considered himself or the form as some- 
thing in reality, when it is nothing, ("Ye are as 
sheep for the slaughter"), for, if he sails with in- 
tegrity, he becomes upright, and to sail with im- 
purity is to become impure. He looks for himself 
in a mirror to find there only a shadow of a doubt, 
because he has not found there that which is 
real. He believes in himself because he sees some- 
thing there that looks real, when in reality it is 
only a shadow of what ought to be real. If he had 
looked within the veil of understanding, he would 
have FORMED therein a Soul or Sense of Thought 
which is the builder of man, but NOT THE MAN, 
or HIMSELF, yet, himself by justification, be- 
cause the Thought is ever the "Father" to the fact 
or vice versa. It is not that we shall spend our 
time in idle dreams, and then expect to awake to 
glorified Being, or a something we had no part in 
building. If we stand in the path of Progress, we 
become stagnant, because we are playing with 
stagnation. You might say, "what have I to do 
with Progress?" and I reply, "very little or very 
much in the nature of an animal." Progress is a 



114 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Universal Law working, and Truth is Universal, 
yet, neither are Universally used as such. There 
is a class of persons who do not believe in liberty 
in all things, and such cannot Progress, because 
they are in Error and false. To oppose liberty 
means bondage, and to bind one to a given thing 
whether it be a fact or no, is to stop Progress, and 
therefore hinder Truth. Mr. IngersoU gives a 
good illustration of Progress in his talk on "The 
Ghosts." He says, "Montaigne, a man blest with 
so much common sense that he was the most un- 
common man of his time, was the first to raise a 
voice against torture in France. But what was 
the voice of one man against the terrible cry of 
ignorant, infatuated, superstitious and malevolent 
millions? It was the cry of a drowning man in the 
wild roar of a cruel sea. In spite of the efforts of 
the brave few, the infamous war against the freedom 
of the Soul was waged until at last one hundred 
millions of human beings — fathers, mothers, 
brothers, sisters — with hopes, loves, and aspirations 
like ourselves, were sacrificed upon the cruel altar 
of an ignorant faith. Every nerve of pain was 
sought out and touched by the belief in Ghosts. 
"For my part I glory in the fact, that here in the 
new world — in the United States — the liberty of 
conscience was first guaranteed toman, and that 
the constitution of the United States was the first 
great decree entered in the high court of human 
equity forever divorcing Church and State — the 
first injunction granted against the interference 
of the Ghosts. This was one of the grandest 
steps ever taken by the human race in the direction 
of Progress. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 115 

"You will ask what has caused this wonderful 
change in three hundred years. And I answer — 
the inventions and discoveries of the few, — the 
brave thoughts, the heroic utterances of the few, — 
the acquisition of a few facts. 

"You must remember that every wrong in some 
way tends to abolish itself. It is hard to make a 
lie stand always. A lie will not fit a fact. It will 
only fit another lie made for the same purpose. 
The life of a lie is simply a question of time. Noth- 
ing but Truth is immortal." 

When I look about me and see men who have 
never given a hand toward Progress and Truth in 
anything, I think how fortunate for such that there 
are progressive persons with inventive ideas — 
thoughts. These persons do not seem to realize 
the fact that their happiness is due to the few, and 
would even scorn if you hinted to them it is a 
fact, for they too believe they have had a share in 
making Progress. 

I said to a friend recently that the time is coming 
when there will be no cemeteries, because the work 
of cremation shall be the universal method in the 
disposition of the dead. He replied: "What an in- 
sane idea." But he is one of those who looks only 
to nature and present methods formed by usage, 
and if told before electricity came into use, that 
such would be possible some day; would have 
said, what an insane idea. Here again, I might 
turn from the direct subject, yet, it is a part of the 
subject in explanation, since Cremation is a form 
of Knowledge and understanding, and will be 
more so in the day of increased judgment. With 
all the floral displays and monumental architecture. 



116 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

the cemetery is not in line with Progress, nor is 
it conductive to happiness and civiHzation, but 
is looked upon and made a part of civilization thru 
PAST CUSTOM. It is really but a remembrance 
of that which should not be remembered, since it 
does not contribute anything towards happiness, 
nor a relief from pain, but is ever the source of one 
kind of pain and unhappiness. But some persons 
are never happy unless they are in pain, or suffer, 
because they "believe" some such things are 
"sent from God," and therefore necessary and 
right to suffer. If it were not for what some one 
would say and think if we did not pay such tribute 
to the dead, there would even now be much less 
following to the cemetery. We do so much for 
custom and formality sake, that we forget what is, 
or overlook what is reasonable, and thereby hinder 
Progress in another form. I agree that many 
persons would have to look elsewhere for employ- 
ment and other business, if the cemetery was 
abolished, but this is characteristic of all changes 
being made along the line of Reformation and 
Progress. I believe too, that there are many in 
the business for the money and business end of it, 
and not because they believe in its more proper 
disposition of the dead. The word "Sanitary" 
which is really a farce to-day in most cases, is used 
to represent health conditions, and I should think 
it ought to serve in connection with the disposition 
of the dead, as in all animal and decayed matter. 
Granting that you are "greater than many spar- 
rows" when the body manifests life, you are no 
more than many sparrows when the body is in a 
state of decay, or, "ye are as sheep for the slaugh- 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 117 

ter." I rather have those of my friends remember 
me when alive to the fact that I may appreciate 
it, and so do not care to be seen or remembered 
when I cannot appreciate it, since the body is 
nothing to be admired while in a state subject to 
decay. The last time I care to see any one, or 
to remember them is when I see them moving as 
a body, for it is only then that I can care for, or 
do anything to assist them. I believe so much in 
the life of man, and nothing in a dead body that 
I trust my body shall be given to some hospital 
for any purpose they may see fit, if I do not leave 
behind me the necessary funds for Cremation. 
So then, we should not be expected to associate 
with dead things, or things unlike ourselves. It 
would be just as well and reasonable for you and 
your friends to be left so, because those alive are 
only harboring something which shall not make 
them happy, and certainly of no help to those 
gone, because you are on an entirely different 
plane of existence. I know this idea will be repul- 
sive to some, yet, these very same persons and 
friends who are now repulsed by this remark, will 
gossip and quarrel and even in some cases make life 
miserable for their friend and folk now, and then 
try and pay tribute, or give in return a few tears 
and flowers and a burial when they pass away. 

You, who will feel repulsed by the above idea, 
which may seem too radical, cannot be more re- 
pulsed than those who heard the same thing 
nearly two thousand years ago, nor should you be so 
if you really and truthfully believed in the teach- 
ings of Jesus. When Jesus was teaching, "The 
disciple said to him. Lord, suffer me first to go and 



118 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

bury my father," at which Jesus replied, "follow 
me and let the dead bury the dead." While this 
refers to "the dead" idea of what LIFE IS and has 
been preached to us, as life, it also proves there is 
nothing gained in spending time with a dead body, 
since it cannot reveal any knowledge, nor impart 
a growth to man in the way of what builds up. I 
have failed to see where sighing and mourning 
over "SPILLED MILK" has brought any good 
results, or happiness to those who sigh and mourn. 
I know when my father and mother passed away I 
could not sign nor mourn their loss because I knew 
they were then out from under the bond of sick- 
ness and a condition that could not be relieved 
otherwise, and so, really felt a RELIEF FOR 
THEM, and by so doing, was relieved myself from 
the effects of sighing and mourning. Let us there- 
fore remember to HELP NOW "the widows and 
orphans." 

Religion has ever been a part to hinder Progress. 
That is, it has in some form or other withheld a 
thinking public, as is illustrated in the words of 
Ingersoll. Martin Luther had a clearer and bet- 
ter Conscience, or was Conscious of a better 
God-Thought than others of his time, therefore 
"The Reformation." It was a grand revival when 
he said, "let the scriptures be put in the hands of 
everybody; let every one interpret them for him- 
self, according to the light he has; let there be 
private judgment — let spiritual liberty be revived, 
as in Apostolic days." I am not saying but what 
there are good qualities in all creeds, or but what 
most of them to-day are upholding with sincerity 
what they believe is religious. But a Religion 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 119 

that is void of Reason according to experience 
and observation of things as they present them- 
selves to a more scientific and progressive age can- 
not expect to Uve and thrive forever. Altho 
GaHleo, Copernicus and many other known 
Philosophers "inaugurated the era which led to 
progressive improvements in the physical condi- 
tions of societ3^" and made wonderful astronomical 
discoveries, they were cruelly dealt with by reli- 
gious leaders. But they were able to prove what 
they knew and thought, and their Knowledge and 
Works have lived, while the religious views have 
and are changing, — and it is because of the reli- 
gious view making a change, that their works and 
ideas as well as others are more universally be- 
lieved. So, "Creed," or the different Religions, in 
my estimation, means separation from a fact, 
since they express more than One Idea by the very 
name creed — which is impossible to be so in the 
Science of an established Principle. Neither do 
I aim to condemn another, or a Religion because 
I seem to differ here from another, I only use 
their views in pointing out my Knowledge of the 
Truth — If you have followed me thru all the chap- 
ters, you have found that "I blame no man," but 
that the conditions are due to Evolution along the 
Natural and Spiritual lines of growth, as signified 
by the words of Jesus when he said "if a man hear 
my words and do them not, I condemn him not." 
I fully realize with Jesus that no man is to blame 
if he be Catholic or Protestant. Whatever the sub- 
ject may be, he is the object of that subject, 
whether it be Protestant or Catholic. If I take 
on a condition different than another, or change 



120 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

from what I have been, it is because of conflicts 
between several conditions being analyzed to 
whatever produces one. I employ the words 
Knowledge and ignorance to denote distinction and 
not to claim you have no knowledge, or that you 
are ignorant. You are simply ignorant of what my 
Knowledge is of the Truth, and until you can prove 
to me that your knowledge is the Truth, then, your 
knowledge is a case of ignorance to me. But I 
believe I have proof that my Knowledge is the 
Truth by what I am able to prove in experience, 
while your knowledge has outgrown its truthful- 
ness. When talking with a friend on this subject 
of belief, he asked, "Do you believe others as well 
as you, are correct in some of their views?" I 
replied, "I believe there are persons who are cor- 
rect in some of their views; but when I think they 
are correct in any of their views, then, that is my 
view and belief also." But for me to agree in all 
of their views, is for me to give up my views. If 
I did not think " I am" correct in ALL of my views, 
then, I need not write, since I would and could only 
write of some one else. If Jesus had agreed with 
the views of others instead of what he experienced 
and believed, he would not have been ridiculed and 
put to death, as all who have "talked before their 
time" — been able to look to the future, or under- 
stand present facts by experience of such in times 
when people were governed by Religion, or had 
power in their hands to say whether a man 
should be put to death for his Knowledge. Jesus 
aimed to continually live the Spiritual Life dur- 
ing the teaching, and his disciples were "sent by 
him," and not that they were any better morally 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 121 

than others. Neither could Jesus have lived the 
Spiritual Life so much more than others, if he had 
not given the whole of "his life" — the Natural 
belief — up to the teaching and preaching of it, 
and because he was born under the Spiritual 
belief and environment of a mother who gave her 
time and study to a Higher Life than what was 
ordinarily lived. The remark made by Jesus that 
"ye cannot serve two masters," signifies you 
cannot have ONE ONLY in the Conscience and 
"serve it" continually, while both Good and Evil 
are preached to you as it is to-day. In other 
words, it is not necessary to preach Evil, in order 
to destroy it; in fact, the preaching of it will be 
the life of it, because you cannot destroy a thing 
until you fail to recognize it. Preaching Good and 
Evil is typified by a gathering of men and women. 
The conversation may have opened on a good 
subject, but soon, one of the party opens the con- 
versation with an evil subject, and all fall in the 
net. If they had known only the one, or had only 
God — Good in its true meaning preached to them, 
they could talk of nothing else. If you gave a 
scholar the subject of Geography continually, 
it stands to Reason, Understanding, Judgment 
and Knowledge that it would know nothing of 
Arithmetic. To-day we have the understanding 
and therefore the judgment that the Natural is 
against the Spiritual— "THE FLESH LUSTETH 
AGAINST THE SPIRIT"— because all destruc- 
tive and diseased conditions are the result of the 
Natural, or belong to the Natural. Thru this 
understanding and judgment, we receive the 
Knowledge that the Spiritual Life TO BE and 



122 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"IS NOT," is the life to be lived here, therefore, 
this Knowledge is the "Second Coming of Christ." 
We can now Understand and Judge the meaning 
of the following parable. "There shall be two in 
the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
"Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one 
shall be taken, and the other left. Watch there- 
fore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth 
come." In other words, one out of a family shall 
understand and believe what Jesus taught, since 
one is more able to "DISCERN THE SIGNS OF 
THE TIMES" than they were in his day, there- 
fore, "the second coming." For this reason there 
shall be discord in families as it is to-day, which is 
referred to in the following passages. "Think 
not that I am come to send peace on earth: I 
came not to send peace, but a sword." (Truth 
cuts as a two edged sword when it comes in con- 
tact with Error.) "For I am come to set a man 
at variance against his father, and the daughter 
against her mother, and the daughter in law against 
her mother in law. "And a man's foes shall be 
they of his own household." How truly this ap- 
plies to those who have accepted the Spiritual 
teaching as is generally given in "Christian Science" 
and those who oppose it, or, live up to the old 
"Doctrine." In all these years of preaching to 
man that he should overcome sin, we have at the 
same time applied that he was "born in sin," 
and therefore, try to destroy a quality he was born 
under — a very serious proposition I declare. But 
we have observed if a man lives under certain 
evils and conditions contrary to that which pro- 
duces a more Perfect growth, that such cannot 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 123 

live in peace and harmony, even tho he is not in 
sin, or is not the individual Cause of the so termed 
sinful conditions that exist. It is reasonable to 
believe then, that such a man cannot live forever, 
or hereafter, since he has not, nor CANNOT live 
wholly according to a given Rule that is Eternal 
— neither did Jesus. The same candle (body or 
form) does not exist forever, but the light still 
exists by another candle of the same making, yet, 
not the same light by expression of the candle is 
it greatest, because Time creates or develops an- 
other and more perfect light as shown in the elec- 
tric. But the candle still exists and is used by some, 
even tho not such a perfect light, and this light or 
spirit of the candle to-day, is expressed by other 
candles when that candle is burned out, just as 
the OLD BELIEF is expressed and lived by some 
who hold the ancient view of life. A piece of coal 
expresses heat, but the piece of coal that did ex- 
press heat, has been replaced by another piece 
of coal because the former had the heat and light 
burned out of it, — yet, the same heat — life and 
light, but not the same piece of coal. The piece of 
coal is an auxiliary to heat at present, as Matter 
is an auxiliary to Thought at present, since the 
Material means are necessary until the Spiritual 
or Thought — God becomes Absolute or Wholly, 
or the One life, as it says "First that which is 
Natural, and afterward that which is Spiritual." 
While Satan is derived thru the Material, it is not 
of the Material, any more than God is of the Ma- 
terial, but is Thought, and thru this Material seen 
as Thought does it receive its name Natural, and 
so God as Thought derives its Cause thru the Ma- 



124 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

terial also, but is not of the Material either, but, 
and because and thru the destructive principle of 
the Natural as Temporal as Thought, is God seen 
and known as Eternal Thought. The "belief" 
that man dies in order to become Spiritual hinders 
"the word of God," because the Word can never 
be Realized as that of Perfection in the form of man, 
unless demonstrated so in the Visible Life of Man, 
as it is illustrated so in the remark made by John, — 
"The word was made flesh and dwelt among us," 
which does not necessarily refer to Jesus, other 
than that the Word could not be distinguished 
only by form, and Jesus MAN-ifested this Thought 
—God as the TRUE WORD OF LIFE. Do you 
imagine a Perfect building could arise from a pile 
of stone without the aid of help? Man could not 
rise to Perfection from imperfection without aid. 
How then can death put on life? neither could 
life put on death and then put on life again. Life 
is never extinct in any form. The Principle of 
Thought is Perfect in a Sense, yet if it had nothing 
to work upon which is the shape of man, or you, — 
it could no more produce a Perfect Form of Com- 
pleteness, or become so as Visible, than the plan 
of a building could be Perfectly constructed with- 
out the aid of material. 

In Revelation 20: 6, we read, — "Blessed and 
holy IS he that hath part in the first resurrection: 
on such the second death hath no power." The 
end of the Natural condition, or propagation period, 
is the death referred to here, which is "the end of 
the world," and not the general "belief" that the 
world is to be destroyed. Now, it stands to reason 
in my opinion that at the end of the propagation 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 125 

period, there shall be no death, since death can 
only exist so long as propagation exists, for, if 
there is nothing breeding, there is nothing dying. 
The opinion of Mrs. Eddy is that this "death" 
refers to you and I, but I contend it can only allude 
to Nature and man in "the latter days." She 
says in substance, that "I may die now — pass 
away — but thru my claiming or demonstrating 
NOW, or before death, that I — "man is spiritual 
and not material," — and tho I die now, I will not 
die but overcome what here is called "the second 
death." HERE AND NOW is the fact that 
death — the natural condition of life is to be de- 
stroyed, and then is "the second death." If this 
referred to man or you specifically, how could the 
term "second," here be used? Since, SECOND 
DEATH signifies that which HAS taken place, 
and not that it is GOING to take place with YOU 
hereafter, or later, but WILL TAKE PLACE 
WITH THINGS THAT EXIST later. It does 
not read "over such," DEATH hath no power, 
but that the SECOND DEATH "HATH NO 
POWER," therefore, referring to the Natural 
condition which is destroyed, and "HATH NO 
POWER" BECAUSE IT IS DESTROYED, since 
life in all forms of life HATH POWER so long as 
it exists. So I repeat: "Blessed is he that hath 
part in the first resurrection" — SOME of the 
Knowledge, or "part" of the Knowledge of the 
Spiritual Life to be lived here, which Truth has 
been and is the First Death, as referred to in Rev. 
1: IS, "I am he that liveth and was dead," — not 
understood, therefore the FIRST DEATH. And 
"ON SUCH" or God known because it is Eternal 



126 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Life, "the second death" or Satan and the Material 
Conditions known because it is Temporal Life 
''hath no power" because its power is ended in 
the "SECOND DEATH." It is absurd to con- 
nect what she calls death, or what we call death 
with what I call the first death, because the death 
of a thing is the end of that thing, but not the end 
or death of Eternal Thought — God. The candle is 
but the name of the form of light given by the 
candle, and man is but the name of the form of 
Spirit or Thought given by the man. Paul's 
remark illustrates this, for he said, — "When this 
mortal shall have put on immortality, death shall 
be swallowed up in victory." Paul could not 
"put on" the entire State of Immortality in its 
FINAL SPIRITUAL FORM, nor did he say so, 
just because it reads "this mortal," which same is 
to signify a later period than the time in which 
Paul lived, or, "WHEN." It refers to ALL MOR- 
TALITY as well as ALL IMMORTALITY, in 
that all mortality must be destroyed before all 
immortality can be lived, and that there is no other 
place than HERE where "this mortal can put on 
immortality." What Sense would there be to the 
argument of teaching that this mortal was to be 
overcome, if it were not to be overcome here? 
Neither do I claim because it says "when this 
mortal shall put on immortality," that the mortal 
can "put on" immortality, since, flesh is flesh, 
and cannot put on, nor even turn to anything 
unlike its own. This term is but to illustrate that 
the mortal shall be REPLACED by the immortal 
condition, "WHEN" the Thought is Wholly 
existing as a Spiritual body. Mortal, in all forms 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 127 

of organic life, subsists on mortality, or flesh, so 
to speak, in order to exist as mortality. In one 
sense, a term applied to eternal life — mortality 
is eternal as by a growth it continues to exist or 
works to its own end, when it is no more eternal 
when that end is reached. But man, will in time, 
thru Thought — God — be able to overcome the 
mortal, when it destroys in him the Natural, until 
finally — at ''the end of the world" — mortality, 
all Nature requiring food for its existence shall be 
destroyed, for the Thought as God and Man will 
then exist as it IS Spiritual, — in the Form of a 
Spiritual Body. The Thought will eventually 
destroy all desire of the flesh, and the organs which 
constitute and create desire — nature, so there can 
be no desire for the Natural, and the Spiritual so 
termed can then exist without the so termed 
Natural. To say — according to Mrs. Eddy and 
some of those claiming to be Mental Scientists, 
that "there is no matter," or ''it is only a belief," 
and that disease and the like are only a belief, 
and are directly due to "man made laws," is too 
absurd for consideration. Jesus said, "I can of 
myself do nothing" because man and all animal 
life in organic form is subject to diseased conditions 
so long as the Natural condition of organic life 
and the propagation period exists. But because 
the diseased conditions are due to the Natural 
condition, you aid in destroying the same by over- 
coming as much as possible the Cause of such 
conditions by affirming the Truth of and Eternal 
Thought of Life known as the Spiritual, or to be 
known as the Spiritual. Of course, disease is a 
"man made law," as man — the mortal exists under 



128 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

the Natural law of disease and death, and because 
of a Conscience he MUST MAKE THE LAWS 
ACCORDINGLY, or he must make the laws 
which are made only according to the conditions 
that exist. But not that he is necessarily the 
INDIVIDUAL AUTLIOR of the conditions or 
laws that exist, because these existed LONG 
BEFORE MAN EXISTED, since, man was the 
last formation, and could not make any laws, or 
know anything about them until he had a Knowl- 
edge of Good and Evil, for it is reasonable to 
believe that the animal and primitive man were 
subject to disease long before man became Con- 
scious of Creation. To claim man is the Cause or 
Origin of these conditions, or makes the laws in- 
dividually and independently, (the form or build- 
ing can make no laws), and then tell him to "over- 
come them," is too absurd for consideration. Jesus 
would not have said you should "overcome the 
world" if man made the laws, or, if God were and is 
responsible for Creation, since This Command 
contradicts such an idea, for, there would be no 
sense in trying to "overcome" a thing that Man 
and God made, because you cannot place a thing 
above its own, or superior to its own. So I term 
organic life in the term or form of Creation and 
propagation or animal life, which CANNOT RISE 
HIGHER THAN ITS OWN, and if it were not for 
the Higher Thought or God, the primitive man 
would still be a primitive man or no higher than 
the animal. So, the material and diseased con- 
ditions will exist so long as the Natural conditions 
or evil exists. I say, Natural Evil, because, even 
tho it is according to Nature, or propagation is 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 129 

Natural and necessary until the Spiritual becomes 
Absolute, yet, "THE FLESH LUSTETH 
AGAINST THE SPIRIT." But we are not con- 
demned hereafter (no hereafter) for what we, or 
man is unable to avoid under existing conditions, 
because we are what these conditions are HERE 
and NOW. But by aiming to destroy the Natural 
Condition, You as God will have "PART" or 
SOME KNOWLEDGE of how these conditions 
shall be destroyed, since Thought cannot know the 
final result and what conditions it shall take on, 
for, in the words of Jesus: "no man knoweth, not 
even the Son," and if, according to Jesus, the Son 
is one with the Father, it stands to reason that the 
"Father" does not know what shall be, because it 
is a Thought Working to an end no man can pre- 
dict to what end it will terminate. Allow me to 
repeat that the "second death" refers to the Na- 
tural condition and propagation period, by repeat- 
ing the eighteenth verse and first chapter of Revela- 
tion. "I am he that liveth and was dead, and, 
behold, I am alive forever more, amen; and have 
the keys of hell and death." As said before, — 
there being no mention of a FIRST DEATH in 
any of the chapters, yet, a "second death," it 
here signifies THERE IS NONE, nor could there 
have been an actual death for Thought, therefore, 
no real object for mentioning a "first death," yet, 
a misunderstanding of the Truth in its actuality 
is a FIRST DEATH to the Truth, which same gives 
an excuse for mentioning of a "second death," 
and the fact that the Truth or Good cannot ac- 
complish any Good over that which is Error or 
Evil, if the latter is upheld as the Truth, or as 



130 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

much as the Truth, and so the term "second 
death" is used as an appHcation to the Natural 
condition. "The keys of hell and death" we 
should realize NOW from our understanding or 
judgment, are these Truths, for they — the Truths 
of Life are the "keys," because they open up the 
way to destroy the Evils which always end in hell 
for man NOW, and as long as they exist. Truth 
Is hell to Error, and necessarily will be "THE 
END" of it, tho Religion in the name of Chris- 
tianity would tell us God is a Being or Person who 
sends man to Hell because HE IS IGNORANT, 
or seems to work contrary to a law HE DOES 
NOT UNDERSTAND, neither is he responsible 
for its origin. We will pretend just for a minute 
that God is a Personal Being. In this case He 
must have all the passions and appetites according 
to Nature and man, because man is "His Image." 
How he became a Personal Being, we are not sup- 
posed to know, neither on whom He devoted and 
played with passion. But He must have known, 
as man knows it is impossible after maturity to 
overcome these passions to a certain degree, and 
of course being the "Father," He not only ought 
to know them, but really is to blame for giving the 
same to his children when He — a supposed "grown 
up" could not control them; and then, think of 
sending His children to hell because he uses them. 
What would you think of a father who, owning a 
vicious horse, and one he could not control, and 
knew this, but at the same time handed it over to 
his little son — perhaps a weakling, to use and care 
for it? Of course the horse would send the boy to 
hell quick enough, and one would think his father 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 131 

wished to get him out of the way, and, for my part 
I would not think much of such a father. So will 
Evil, or Satan send a man to hell quick enough, 
because it IS hell NOW, just as it would be hell 
Now for the boy with the horse. Paul said, "Our 
citizenship IS in heaven," and our citizenship IS 
in hell, in the sense that the former refers to a 
Good condition and the latter to an Evil condition 
HERE. "IS," meaning a PRESENT STATE, 
while the general religious view of WILL BE refers 
to a FUTURE STATE. Some religious teacher 
will say this remark by Paul is to affirm that while 
we are working here, yet in the end "our citizen- 
ship is in heaven." How absurd, to believe that 
no matter how we live here, and the v/ord "our" 
signifies all persons, or makes no distinction, and 
so cannot refer to this or that person, that finally, 
"our citizenship is in heaven," when all have 
erred, besides, there is no reason for preaching 
about going to hell, if we are all going to heaven. 
You cannot go BEYOND YOUR PRESENT 
STATE, because your Conscience cannot work 
beyond the present state. Therefore, you cannot 
be subject to anything beyond your present con- 
dition, because there is no beyond, until the beyond 
or hereafter is reached, and THEN IT IS HERE 
AND NOW when the beyond or hereafter is 
reached. 

Jesus said, "there be some standing here which 
shall not taste of death, till they see the son of 
man coming in his kingdom." As stated before 
the definition of Kingdom is Spirit, and it applies 
scientifically in every case where the word king- 
dom is used. Therefore, "the Kingdom of God" 



132 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

is having "the Spirit of God," and is not a lo- 
cality, nor an abiding place, or space separate 
from another, but is a State of Consciousness 
separate from another State of Consciousness, or, 
that the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of 
Satan is but the Spirit of either. I will quote the 
following passages from the New Testament 
spoken by Jesus, and therefore more authentic 
than those written in the Old Testament, or those 
spoken even by Paul and others. 

''And when he was demanded by the Pharisees, 
when the Kingdom of God should come, he an- 
swered them and said, The Kingdom of God Com- 
eth not with observation: Neither shall they say 
Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the Kingdom 
of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21.) The Phar- 
isees, like the ignorant people, or Pharisees to- 
day, who "LOOK FOR A SIGN," shall see no 
"sign," for they look for a person or a locality. 
But we find "the Kingdom of God cometh not 
with observation," for, the Spirit — "Kingdom of 
God is within you," IF IT BE SO that "the 
Spirit of God dwelleth in you," instead of the 
Spirit of Satan. It says in Matthew 6: 10, in con- 
nection with prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy 
will be done in earth as it is in heaven." (i.e.) 
The Spirit to be Good — God "will be done" ac- 
cording to the Will as it develops Higher, which is 
to say the Truth shall be universally lived accord- 
ing to Heaven — the Highest conception of life, 
and not according to the Earth — Lowest concep- 
tion or Natural life, yet, "IN THE EARTH"— 
world as it exists. It says, "For nation shall rise 
against nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom." 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 133 

The word "nation" signifies the country, and the 
word "Kingdom" signifies the Spirit of the people 
of the nation. That is, one country shall fight 
another country in the form of Good and Evil, 
or "Kingdom against Kingdom" — Spirit against 
Spirit — God against Satan. "But if I cast out 
devils by the Spirit of God, then is the Kingdom 
of God come unto you." The word Kingdom is 
used here in the sentence so as to avoid the repeti- 
tion of the word Spirit. So, if I — the Spirit — God 
cast out devils — evil spirits, by the Spirit that is 
Good — then this Spirit or Kingdom — ^God is 
come unto you — you are Conscious of it, because 
the Spirit — Kingdom — Evil — Satan is "cast out." 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be 
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter 
the Kingdom of God." (John 3: 3-5). These 
quotations from John would indicate by the word 
"see" and "enter" if taken metaphorically, that 
there is to be, or will be a locality to behold and 
enter, but we have SEEN, or may even say we 
can "see" that it is not a Spirit Kingdom to BE- 
HOLD, other than to SEE IT, or to BEHOLD IT 
as PRESENT IN the Conscience, since, it "COM- 
ETH NOT WITH OBSERVATION" but is 
"WITHIN YOU." Here, the word "see" signi- 
fies that man cannot recognize and live the Spirit 
unless he is "born of the Spirit," since, he lives 
under the opposite state of Consciousness when not 
born into the other, and of course, "CANNOT 
SEE" because blinded by the other. "Ye have 
eyes and see not," because you are blinded by the 



134 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

false idea that you are to "behold" things by ob- 
servation, when they are to be recognized by the 
Senses. "Nicodemus answered and said unto 
him, How can these things be?" Nicodemus was 
at the head of the Church, but he could not un- 
derstand how man must be "born again," be- 
cause of looking on the Physical side of life for 
man, here, and the Spiritual side of life for man 
hereafter, when BOTH are to be lived HERE. 
To be "born again" can only refer to the Mental, 
because, man cannot as Nicodemus cites: "enter, 
the second time into his mother's womb, and be 
born again." Besides; if he must be "born again" 
only to "SEE" the Kingdom of God as a locality, 
there "would be no rest outside of such a Kingdom. 
"The woman saith unto him. Sir, give me this 
water, that I thirst not, neither come here to 
draw," which is the Life or Water no man need 
thirst after. Jesus asked all to partake of this 
Water-Life freely, for it is the Water of life, or 
Life of Life that IS Spiritual, and not WILL BE 
for "the Natural man." "Jesus answered, my 
Kingdom is not of this world." (i.e.) The Spirit — 
God is not of this world — the Natural, because it 
is not Natural, yet it is in the world, but is not of 
"this world" which is Temporal. In Revelation 
it says, "Now is come salvation, and strength, 
and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of 
his Christ; the accuser of our brethren is cast 
down, which accused them before our God day 
and night." In other words, this generation- 
age has reached the Scientific period wherein the 
Truth will not continue to be shaken by Error, 
for the "power of his Christ," or the Idea and 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 135 

power has "cast down" the old Idea, and its attri- 
butes which is the "accuser of our brethren," and 
the "brethren" are the attributes of the "Christ" 
or Idea having reached its Power thru the under- 
standing that it is the only Kingdom — Spirit of 
God — Thought that can live forever. It is said 
to "Suffer not little children to come unto me, for 
of such is the Kingdom of heaven." Not that little 
children are or will be the inhabitants of a place 
called heaven, but not having reached that state 
of Consciousness and maturity wherein the Sense 
of sexual indulgence is; therefore the Spirit of 
God, is the Spirit — "Kingdom of heaven" ex- 
pressed by them, since. Truly, the Spirit or King- 
dom of heaven "IS WITHIN" them. The above 
passage illustrates this and nothing more; the 
children being used to signify the Heaven — Highest 
State of Consciousness because of the Natural 
not having developed there, since, it could not 
exist in the child, until the child had matured. 
My definition of "Heaven" being the Highest con- 
ception of life, and "earth" the Lowest conception 
of life, so "little children" are of the "Kingdom of 
Heaven" — Spirit of the Highest conception of life. 
Turning back to "there be some standing here 
which shall not taste of death, till they see the son 
of man coming in his Kingdom;" it is reasonable 
to believe now that "to taste of death," we must 
recognize the New — Christ Idea of Life, or "see 
the son of man coming in his Kingdom" — embodied 
form of the Spirit of Truth in the form of man 
which will destroy the Old — Adam Idea, which 
latter will be the "TASTE OF DEATH" referred 
to. It is as much as to say that in no generation 



136 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

can one ''taste of death" until the Old Idea had 
PARTIALLY been destroyed. Jesus referred to 
this dual life, and death of one — taste of death, 
when he said, " I lay down my life, that I may take 
it up again." Of course, the general belief is that 
this passage refers to some of them he addressed, 
or to the people in general; that they would live 
on even after death and then have "renewed" 
life, but it referred to those present, and others, 
that they could not receive any part of the New 
Idea of Truth, until they had abolished part of 
their Old Idea of Truth. We can with much more 
reason see how one in any age can lose an old 
belief — taste of death — when they take on an 
opposite condition of life, or belief. Jesus said: 
"But I say unto you, that every idle word that 
man shall speak, they shall give account thereof 
in the day of judgment." You will note it does 
not say, "that every idle word YOU speak, YOU 
shall give account of in the day of judgment," 
but that it is the work of Thought in "man" 
and in all men as "they," and not necessarily in 
or of YOU as a responsible individual to suffer. 
The Truth and Error works thru men, and be- 
cause of this, "they," certainly, must give ac- 
count for in the day of judgment, or when the day 
of understanding is reached when they — the works 
of Evil shall be destroyed as fast as Good can 
destroy them, and that man also for that matter, 
since he is the embodiment of these. So too, 
the idle words which the Evil speaks Thru you 
to-day will have to be given account of by man later 
since, what you speak are those — "they" who fol- 
low you are subject to, or inherit what you speak, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 137 

until that "idle talk" is gradually overcome by, 
the Higher Sense of Life and Man. 

If we all had an invitation to go to heaven to- 
night (no such place) there is not one who would 
accept it, and yet, YOU PREACH THERE IS 
A HEAVEN and say, IT IS THE ETERNAL 
PLACE OF HAPPINESS AND REST, and 
CONTRADICT THIS ASSERTION by taking 
medicine and the like, to KEEP FROM GOING 
THERE — what silly rot. Besides, it would be 
too monotonous, since, even pleasure here be- 
comes a monotony, and, while you may think 
it would be such a different pleasure along a differ- 
ent channel and for a Being called God, and that 
it would not become monotonous, it stands to 
reason that such an existence could not be pos- 
sible. To accept heaven and hell as localities, 
other than a locality existing as a condition of 
life thruout the ages is very absurd. It is true 
that many have suffered untold agonies because 
of such a belief, but this does not necessarily make 
heaven and hell a fact. It is said, "The martyrs 
cheerfully and heroically endured physical suf- 
ferings in view of the glorious crown of which they 
were assured in the future world." But, when 
Christianity became more powerful, we find many 
who did not believe as these SO-CALLED Chris- 
tians, — (Christian in name only, because Jesus, 
the teacher of Christianity was opposed to killing 
to gain an end in anything) that THEY, TOO, 
SUFFERED UNTOLD AGONIES," at the hands 
of Christians, and it is even so to-dav. Does this 
not throw BOTH IN THE SAME ^BALANCE? 
It was only a matter of who thought they were 



138 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

right, whether they were right or no, and the most 
powerful of the two caused the other to suffer. 
It was not so much so because they were Chris- 
tians, (they had the same brutal nature in them) 
that they had to suffer, but because they held to 
their rights, that is, — each one tried to uphold 
what they believed were their rights. It did not 
necessarily make either right because they suf- 
fered, — but because they thought they were right, 
they fought and suffered for their rights. It seems 
there must always be rivalry, in order to bring about 
certain things as a natural sequence or following. 
It was and is a matter of if you do not follow my 
belief, you must suffer for it, tho all may be wrong, 
as Emerson says, "Good and bad are names very 
readily transferable to that or this." But, "wis- 
dom shall be justified of her children," for. Reason 
shall in time condemn no man to suffer for another's 
belief, which is partially showing itself to-day in 
the liberty of belief and thought. Now, let us 
Reason this in another way than what is ordinarily 
used as an illustration to point out heaven and 
hell. We have a man who has all the necessities 
of life — wealth, health, etc. He believes there is 
a future heaven for him, and he has a right to 
believe such, because it is preached to him, and he 
cannot see or believe otherwise. This places him 
in a good position HERE and HEREAFTER. 
Now we have a man who has poor health, and barely 
an existence in the necessities of life. He believes 
there is a future heaven for him, and he has a 
right to believe such, because it is preached to him, 
and he cannot see and believe otherwise. This 
places him in a good position ONLY IN THE 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 139 

HEREAFTER. Now I ask in the name of 
REASON, can such a conclusion as a heaven or a 
life hereafter be drawn from such an argument? 
It is clearly seen by this, or should be seen by the 
above that there is no such a Person or Being as 
a God, but that such a condition of life is due as a 
result of certain opportunities, environments, 
circumstances — the hereditary and associations 
during one's life, since, God, nor even a Reasonable 
man would not throw the burden and hardships 
upon one person called ignorant and poor. It is 
said by the MORE ADVANCED PREACHERS 
in the Church to-day, that "there is no hell or 
eternal punishment for man," but that, "there is a 
heaven for man," — changing the former "belief" 
of hell. Then I claim it is just as reasonable to 
argue that there is no heaven for man. There is 
just as much reason in changing the latter, as the 
former. If you have preached and do preach one 
place as the result of living good, then you must 
preach the other place as the result of living evil, 
else, BOTH must wind up in the same place. But, 
people are not always good, neither are they al- 
ways evil, — nor are there any who are good all 
the time, and those who are bad all the time, — 
so it would be, and IS impossible to make any dis- 
tinction, or that one class shall go to heaven, and 
that another class shall "go to hell." What you 
think is good form, may be an evil form to me, 
and what you think is evil may seem good to me, 
but ALL must SUFFER and ENJOY, and HERE, 
according to the Consciousness of both "Good 
and Evil," and in proportion to their Conscious- 
ness of them. Very few animals would suffer if 



140 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

it were not for man, unless of course it is beast 
against beast as it is man against man. I am 
referring to the character and Soul and Sense of 
man here in regard to God and Satan in dealing 
with man, and not necessarily to the organic life 
so to speak. The only thing to blame then, is 
ignorance. If you ask what caused ignorance, I 
reply, "It had no cause, but is a matter of fact 
because we are ignorant," since, Thought and 
Intelligent development require Time in which 
to work and develop. There is no other way to 
distinguish between ignorance and wisdom than 
by growth it is so, and happy are they who 
are wise, or not entirely ignorant. It refers 
to this distinction when it says "Whosoever 
shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on 
whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to 
powder." The life of this body is a great deal 
a case if you pass along about the time an 
earthquake takes place, or a trolley car hits your 
form of existence, that you are dealt with by such 
incidents, and not because of a God as Cause, 
nor because of a Satan as Cause. Perhaps too, 
you are better off by making your exit in this way, 
since you may escape the effects of a prolonged 
disease, or a condition that may change your 
past good life for one of evil. That is, you may 
leave your good environment and dwell where the 
evil environment is greatest, and will be subject 
to it, because many devils — individuals in the 
form of the One Evil or Satan will have power to 
throw off the little of Good — God there is in you. 
Jesus illustrated this — the power of suggestion — 
when he went "APART TO PRAY." In other 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 141 

words, he could not have the Desire "to pray" 
while in company with the disciples, because of 
their natural tendency in living and thinking 
more of the flesh, so it was necessary to be "apart" 
from them, that he might be "alone with God" — 
Thought of a Higher Life, else he may have been 
influenced by them in their way of living. That 
the Devil or Satan — Evil in the form of man 
"CANNOT STAND" before that Lord or God- 
Good in the form of man is illustrated by the fol- 
lowing in Matthew 8: 31. "So the devils besought 
him, saying, If you cast us out, suffer us to go 
AWAY into the herd of swine," which also illus- 
trates the animal or devil is not the life for man as 
taught by Jesus, or that such a condition is more 
characteristic of the animal as shown by "the 
swine." It is then, that man in disease or such 
bodily conditions shall understand "death is the 
greatest deliverer" as Job said, — "My Soul 
chooseth death" — My Sense chooseth death, be- 
cause my Natural Soul or Sense of a Lower Life 
cannot stand and live before this Spiritual Soul 
or Sense of a Higher Life. 

Occult Science, like some of the other Sciences, 
has aimed to find the Truth by looking "within," 
and so call it "hidden," or a Truth because it is 
hidden. I argue that there is no existence that 
can be hidden or within. As Spencer would say, 
"Because we cannot see that transition has taken 
place, is proof that it has not taken place." It is 
proof then that God did not exist the same before 
the time of Jesus, and when Jesus lived he made 
known, not an unknown, but a known God, there- 
fore not "hidden" nor "invisible." But, Spencer 



142 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

should likewise have known that there is no 
"Unknown," or "Unknown Cause," since nothing 
exists but that which is known, or, tho it may 
not be known the same at one time, it is known to 
change by development, and then is known only 
differently, but is known just the same. We have 
an idea that Jesus knew God, and in such a light 
it is revealed to us, and could not have existed in 
such a light until the time of Jesus, therefore, 
nothing hidden since it did not exist until the time 
of Jesus which we can call the Revelation. It was 
revealed by him, just as any invention becomes 
known when it is invented by the inventor, and 
could not exist until the invention was made 
known. Some persons, as in Occult Science, be- 
lieve they see it, or believe it is there because they 
cannot see it. They "believe" a thing can exist, 
tho it may be unseen, yet is seen by what they term 
"insight." But, it is seen by the eye, if they 
would see it by the things that are made. The 
things discernible thru Reason being the things 
that seem to be unseen by the things that are made, 
for, "He that hath SEEN ME hath SEEN the 
Father also." In other words, He that hath seen 
me — the body, hath seen the Thought also, for, 
I — the body and my Father — Thought are one, 
since, in no other way, or form can the Thought or 
Father be expressed, therefore it is not an "Un- 
known God" or Cause. Nevertheless, when he 
said at another time, " I can of myself do nothing," 
he referred to the body as material, and that it is 
Good and Evil Working, tho, by the body is it 
seen and known. "Ye have eyes and see not, and 
ears and hear not," because you have not Reason, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 143 

since the eyes are not necessary to see this Truth, 
nor the ears necessary to hear this Truth, when we 
understand it is represented by Consciousness, 
and so called "within," but being without and 
within also when ONE by MAN-ifestation. You 
may "believe" the Spirit passes from the body, 
or lives on, or passes from one body to another 
after death, but I argue that ONLY LIVING 
BODIES OF THINGS are the representatives 
of the things that SEEM TO BE UNSEEN. If 
God and Satan work; I — body must work also. 
I cannot be more nor less than "I am." If I re- 
flect life and death principles, then I am the ob- 
ject of such principles. Emerson says, "On my 
saying, 'What have I to do with the sacredness of 
traditions, if I live wholly from within?' my friend 
suggested, — 'But these impulses may be from below, 
and not from above.' I replied, 'They do not seem 
to me to be such, but if I am the Devil's child, I 
will live then from the Devil.' No law can be 
sacred to me, but that of my nature. Good and 
bad are names very readily transferable to that or 
this, — the only right is what is after my constitu- 
tion; the only wrong what is against it." 

Jesus "overcome the world," which refers to the 
sexual, because, it is the only thing he did overcome, 
and not this, until after "the fast," since he lived 
as others lived in all other walks of life. Jesus 
said, "Not every man that saith unto me Lord, 
Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he 
that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven." This "unto me" refers to the Spirit 
and not Jesus — Jesus speaking of the Spirit as 
"Lord, Lord." The "my Father" is also my 



144 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Thought as Jesus Thought, and therefore the 
Father of Jesus spoke as the Father — Thought, be- 
cause it was the Thought — Father of Jesus. This 
verse admits positively of no excuse, or any hope 
("hope is deceiving") for the man who has not 
lived the Spiritual Life wholly as outlined by 
Jesus, — (He did not live it Wholly, nor could he, 
any more than we) only to a greater extent than 
we, as I shall aim to prove later on. It seems to be 
characteristic of people to be always looking to 
this or that person as Superior, and Jesus wished 
to be excluded from this class, for this is why we 
have "masters," and this is why people cannot or 
could not learn to be more equal in the time of 
Jesus as he taught and wished it so, and so it is 
to-day. We look up to this or that man, and so 
we are not equal to him because we have made 
ourselves unequal, by looking to him as superior 
We elevate him more than he elevates himself. 
Emerson says, "When I talked with an ardent 
missionary and pointed out to him that his creed 
found no support in my experience, he replied: 
'It is not so in your experience, but is so in the 
other world.' I answer: Other world! There is no 
Other world. God is one and omnipresent; here 
or nowhere is the fact." In the following I give 
the definitions of God, Satan, Angels, Heaven and 
Kingdom as they follow the quotations from the 
Bible in uniform. 

Words Definitions. 

Matt. "The Angels of. .The Thoughts of Spirit- 

20 : 30 God in ual Life are the Highest 

Heaven conception of Life and 

Immortality. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 145 

Words Definitions. 
Rev. "The Angels of. .The Thoughts of Natural 
12 : 9 Satan in the Life are the Lowest con- 
Earth ception of Life and Mor- 
tality. 

Luke " The Kingdom .. .The Spirit of Thought 
17:20 of God Cometh... Cometh not with Ob- 
no t with servation. 

Observation. 

Matt. "In the day of In the day of Under- 
16:20 Judgment." standing. 

The day of understanding is upon us, for, we are 
beginning to understand and — judge which is the 
Truth. Henry Drummond says, "No man can 
study Modern Science without a change coming 
over his view of Truth. What impresses him about 
nature is its solidity. He is there standing on 
actual things." In other words, Here in the world 
can only be experienced that which shall bring 
about the Truth in anything, since there are no 
"actual things" to work upon outside of nature. 
Then, in dealing with the resurrection and angels, 
I trust you are coming into the realization that 
here in this verse the word "Angels" are Thoughts, 
because it associates itself with the word God and 
Satan. It is absurd to picture angels as men and 
women, tho it might AMUSE US, like we amuse 
children because of their ignorance. But, the idea 
of us being angels hereafter, should not be held up 
as such before children as a Truth, since, every 
Error planted in the Conscience of a child must 
later be uprooted in order to make room for the 



146 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Truth as it really is, as, "man shall give account 
of every idle word." We, who are older should 
learn a lesson by experience, or, that it is very 
difficult to drop an Error or anything engrafted in 
us from childhood, so as not to burden the child 
with the same experience we have undergone, for, 
"because the father is a republican, the child will 
be one also." The Priest said "Give me a child 
until it is twelve years old, then you can have it 
the balance of the time." He knew full well what 
it means in the support of any doctrine. It would 
be much better if children, like older persons, were 
allowed more freedom on such things, that they 
might be led more by Truth than by us. We ought 
not to complain if the child tells us a falsehood, 
when the parents implant THE FIRST LIE by 
telling them "there is a Santa Claus." But, this 
is a good illustration of how we have been and are 
children, and to amuse us as we amuse children 
by telling of a Santa Claus, we have accepted a 
LIE for the Truth concerning the real life of man 
and his future. But like the children who shall 
not always remain a child and in ignorance, we 
too, shall not always remain the child of ignorance. 
I believe as Rousseau says in his book of "Emile," 
— "Let the child take nothing for granted because 
some one says it is so. Nothing is good to him but 
what he feels to be good. You think it far sighted 
to push him beyond his understanding of things, 
but you are mistaken. For the sake of arming 
him with weapons he does not know how to use, 
you take from him one universal among men, 
common sense; you teach him to allow himself 
always to be let, never to be more than a machine 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 147 

in the hands of others. You are continually say- 
ing to him, 'All I require of you is for your own 
good, but you cannot understand it yet. What 
does it matter to me whether you do what I re- 
quire or not? You are doing it entirely for your 
own sake.' With fine speeches you are paving 
the way for some kind of a trickster or fool, — some 
visionary babbler or charlatan — who will entrap 
him or persuade him to adopt his own folly." 
How truly these words bring to bear on the present 
day characteristics. We have criminals grown and 
not "born" so, as the general opinion that crimi- 
nality is necessarily hereditary. I can in my ob- 
servation name many ''unfits" who are so because 
they were "let" by their parents and then subject 
to be let to others' influence. We see thousands 
holding positions to-day who are failures in the 
same because they were "let" to their parents, 
(i.e.) The parents will say to the child, "When 
you grow up I want you to be so and so — a doctor, 
a lawyer, etc." It matters not whether you are 
capable of being so, but "I think for you, and be- 
cause I am your senior, I ought to know what is 
good for you, because you are too young to under- 
stand it." So, the child is not able to develop in 
it the faculties it should develop, but must try to 
develop in it the faculties which are in others, 
and that is impossible, but the parents see in the 
child only that which is good for the child — seem- 
ingly so, and the child adopts something that is 
unfit for its own talent, and finally, when it fails 
to make good in something it was never intended 
to be so by natural development, it becomes care- 
less, and takes up anything suggested, and that 



148 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

often chances to be something along the line of 
criminology, because failures in everything gener- 
ally lead to criminal acts as a last step. This re- 
minds me of a case where the father was a shoe- 
maker — a German who having sent his child to 
school with the intention of making not only a 
shoemaker out of his son, also wished him to take 
up certain studies to adapt himself to the business. 
The child did not seem to take to these studies, 
but during the hours of lesson would spend most 
of his time in drawing pictures on his slate. It 
happened one day he was drawing pictures, that 
the teacher chanced to see his slate, and thereon 
he had made the picture of his teacher. For this 
he received a sound flogging from his parent, as well 
as from his teacher. But this did not seem to 
change the child's views, tho many times after 
this, he was flogged for the same purpose of mak- 
ing pictures instead of taking up the lessons chosen 
by his father. He soon became tired of this and 
leaving school, ran away from home. When away 
from home and under his own guidance he soon 
took up painting, and he is to-day one of the best 
artists in Germany. So, let the child alone, that 
the Truth as to its future life in Religion and trade 
may develop, instead of the one you wish it to 
develop, while perhaps, in yourself, you have made 
a great failure. Your religious views have brought 
you failure too, since it is not in keeping with a 
more progressive growth and understanding that 
comes thru experience, rather than thru belief 
alone built upon theory. Many people are ex- 
pecting to see Jesus "appear" again, but this 
blindness of waiting will never open the door to 
his coming. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 149 

"This is life Eternal to know God and Jesus 
Christ whom thou hast sent," and not according 
to the general opinion "will be life eternal." If 
man looks at what "IS LIFE ETERNAL," 
which IS THOUGHT, instead of Material for 
motion or organic life merely, — he is enlightened 
to the fact that the actual Truth about his exis- 
tence IS HERE, or to be experienced here, rather 
than to be lived in an uncertain locality. Jesus 
said, "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, 
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear 
his voice and live, and shall come forth; they 
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, — 
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrec- 
tion of damnation." You will note here also that 
"the resurrection" refers to "damnation," and 
not to "the resurrection" of what you would like 
to call it, and that it does not refer to you or any 
individual as coming "forth," to be resurrected 
from this life to another life hereafter. So, "the 
resurrection," as the Knowledge of a thing, which 
thing is here referred to as that of the True Life 
of man, for, to have the true Knowledge of life 
is to have "the resurrection" of life, which Knowl- 
edge will bring "forth" the Truth concerning 
Eternal Life, while, to have the wrong Knowledge 
of life, is to have "the resurrection of damnation," 
because it will bring "forth" the Error concerning 
Eternal Life — both resurrection bringing forth 
its kind. The above statement has given some 
the idea that "graves" refers to where people are 
buried, which, of course, is true in the case where 
people are buried, but this is not THE DEATH 
of people, ("God is not the God of the dead, but 



150 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

of the living"), but the death of what constitutes 
life as to Truth and Error being buried, so "the 
graves" signifies the Conscience of man, or men be- 
cause more than one grave is mentioned, and the 
Thoughts therein are "THEY WHICH SHALL 
COME FORTH." It was said by Jesus that " they 
might have life MORE abundantly," which ap- 
proves the idea that one can take on as much as 
they are able to understand, and disapproves the 
idea that man is under a death sentence NOW, but 
will receive Eternal Life hereafter, for, "they that 
never perish," are "my words for they are spirit 
and they are life." Jesus said, "I am the door: 
by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and 
shall go in and out and find pasture." That is, 
Man and the Idea shall be "saved" from Evil, 
because, thru this "door" of understanding 
that God is "everywhere present" as the words 
"go in and out and find pasture" thus signify, 
he shall not be and cannot always be controlled 
by Evil. 

It says in Matthew 25: 35, "For I was an hun- 
gered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye 
gave me drink, — I was a stranger and ye took me 
in." Jesus refers to the Idea of Life, or Christ 
that was "a stranger," which stranger in the form 
of Jesus was "hungered" to be received by the 
people, and by accepting him as the teacher, "gave 
me meat," because, to feed upon this Truth would 
nourish the "word," that it would live. This is 
the Truth that "shall hunger no more" as spoken 
of in Revelation when man upholds — manifests the 
Truth — God only. So, they that will uphold — 
feed on this Truth shall give Him — Truth — 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 151 

"Meat," because the result of feeding — upholding 
the Truth before the people will increase the Truth 
and lessen Error. The Christ Idea is and has been 
"a stranger" according to the past and present 
idea, but, in "the day of judgment," or when a 
better understanding is visible, ("The veil is 
taken away"). "Ye took me in." 

We will now turn our attention more to "the 
fast," which is an important step in the right di- 
rection towards bringing out what it really means 
toward the Truth. I find some men have made 
"fools" of themselves, by abstaining from food for 
"forty days" and others believe that the "flesh" 
of animals should not be taken. It vSeems that most 
anything is allowed in Religion, in order to avoid 
the Truth in that it would convict itself if it 
preached the true "fast" and did not live it. Meat 
and food and pleasure in games and amusements 
are not the things to abstain from, or to which 
" the fast" refers. Sexual indulgence is " the flesh" 
to abstain from, because it is the one thing con- 
trary to Spiritual growth, and is "the flesh that 
lusteth against the Spirit." We hear on every 
side — "it is according to nature, and why not in- 
dulge and even freely in it?" Granting that it 
is according to nature, we may have stepped be- 
yond the laws of nature. The law of nature is to 
multiply, and if this were only used for that pur- 
pose, the result would be a healthy generation. 
Neither does the fast allude to any specified time, 
or "forty "days." This "forty days" refers to 
that part of the individual life of Jesus, and not 
man in general, or that man is to set apart so 
many days in which to fast. By secluding him- 



152 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

self from the world — presence of such worldly 
company and environments that would tend to 
bring forth an Evil desire, Jesus was able to grow 
in strength thru the Higher Thought which he be- 
came more Conscious of by looking up to such a 
Principle of Life. This also was his desire because 
he had passed thru an ordeal ("it is hard to go 
against Conscience") that he could not live to 
reach a more peaceful life — so he became Con- 
scious of this desire — therefore, to "pray and 
fast" — a desire to abstain from this "flesh" — 
sexual indulgence for "forty days" gave him 
strength to meet the desire when it came up before 
him as is illustrated by his remark, — "get thee 
behind me Satan." Jesus could, after this fast, 
go forth in the world and be present with the sex, 
and not be "tempted" as heretofore he was tempted 
and yielded, for, he was like unto us and all men. 
He here proved how man is to be " BORN AGAIN," 
tho "born of the flesh," for, after this fasting he 
was able to say to man, — "In the world ye shall 
have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have 
overcome the world." It is absurd, as the general 
opinion that Jesus "overcome the world" for YOU, 
but that you should "be of good cheer" to know 
how HE overcame the world. This was because 
of praying and fasting — desiring to and abstain- 
ing from the flesh, and such a remark is in keeping 
with Paul's remark, "I wish all men were even as 
I am." This "all men" signifies when the Natural 
condition shall finally be overcome, which will 
THEN BE "The end of the world." Paul says, 
"I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, 
it is good for them if they abide even as I." 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 153 

"But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for 
it is better to marry than to burn." In speaking 
with a friend on this subject he said, — "If all 
people held the same view as you believe, what 
would become of the world?" I replied, — "The 
world existed thousands of years before you or 
man lived, therefore, what need I to worry over 
what shall become of the world? besides, it is not 
to be considered that in this generation there will 
be any great change along this line of Reformation. 
What the result will be "no man knoweth, not 
even the Son," so why should one aiming to live 
according to the teaching and Truth taught by 
Jesus care what the result shall be, since, "I CAN 
OF MYSELF DO NOTHING," and only subject 
to what I believe and live to-day. You have often 
come in contact with persons who have held the 
view that if it were not for what they did in life, 
there would be no help for others, or the world 
could not exist; and so they think if they leave a 
position in life, or a job of work, say, — "What 
will become of the position or job if I cease to be 
the whole thing." But we find when they are gone 
and out, that even a more competent person is 
ready to fill the position. Do not "worry" about 
the good old world, for it will Progress and move 
along without the helpmate of such men, since, 
they are but utterances of things which amount to 
nothing more than themselves in conceit, which 
are not needed along the line of growth, and 
Progress. So, after the fast, Jesus was able to 
say "get thee behind me Satan," and this "ex- 
ceeding high mountain" to which it refers in the 
same chapter is significant of the HEIGHT of 



154 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

understanding Jesus had of both — Good and Evil, 
and the Power of the One to save man — the form 
from the other. Mr. Franz Molnar in his play 
called "The Devil," illustrates the above in the 
same manner by depicting "The Devil" working 
in the Conscience, for, when pointing to the head 
of Karl Mahler, the artist in the play, and Olga 
Hofman, the banker's wife, he says, "I am here." 
When the disciples referred to one they were un- 
able to heal, Jesus said "this kind goeth not out 
but by praying and fasting." To-day we find many 
who have over-indulged and "abused" the laws of 
nature, and have reached such a state as is illus- 
trated in the above, and the only help is desiring and 
abstaining — "Praying and fasting" — from this 
indulgence until the body is healed accordingly, 
tho sometimes it is too late, and THEN IS "THE 
SOUL AND BODY IN HELL." So the "forty 
days" of fasting — abstaining from the sexual in- 
dulgence and its influence, is simply to illustrate 
how one is to go about to prove the Power can be 
strengthened in the Conscience by "praying to" — 
desiring to live the Higher — Heaven conception 
of Life. It is absurd to even think that Jesus was 
"the Son of God" and then think that he should 
be expected to "fast," or there would be no Reason 
to the idea that he should fast, if he or any in- 
dividual was and is the Son of God. He was the 
Son of God in the Sense that he Manifested the 
Truth CONCERNING the Higher Life, or when 
he did not Manifest the opposite or Lower Life 
as he did before "the fast," and as he even ex- 
pressed a desire to live the Natural Life after the 
fast while in company with Mary Magdalene. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 155 

However, he may at times have given up to this 
desire of "the flesh," as he had done heretofore, 
yet, in order to strengthen his idea with the people 
of what shall be the future life for man as he was 
able by "the fast" to prove it could be lived when 
the Thought had become Absolute, so "the lie" was 
necessary in order to strengthen the Truth. In 
referring to the same Truth, it was not until the 
after years of Paul's life that he said "I wish all 
men were even as I am." But Paul was more con- 
siderate and truthful about his private life than 
Jesus, when he said, "For if the Truth of God hath 
more abounded thru MY LIE unto his glory, 
why yet am I also judged as a sinner? So then, 
it is NO FAST AT ALL, nor a "sacrifice," to 
abstain from one kind of food and amusement, 
because, IT IS VERY EASY TO GIVE UP one 
or two kinds of food and amusement, and THEN 
SIMPLY SUBSTITUTE OTHER FOOD and 
amusements. Such hypocrisy WILL NEVER 
RENDER VIRTUE its just dues. To abstain 
from Sexual indulgence is a REAL "FAST," 
and a REAL "SACRIFICE," because there is no 
other so-called pleasure — flesh — to fill its place in 
the world, and such is "THE FLESH WHICH 
LUSTETH AGAINST THE SPIRIT" of Good- 
God. Paul says in substance, "Meat commendeth 
us not to God; for neither, if we eat, are we the 
better; neither if we eat not are we the worse." 
Jesus said "How is it that ye do not understand, 
that I spake not concerning bread" — food or 
flesh of any kind, — "that ye should beware of the 
Pharisees, and the Sadducees? "Then understood 
they how that he bade them NOT beware of the 



156 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

leaven of bread,— but of the DOCTRINE of the 
Pharisees, and of the Sadducees," because such a 
"behef" of abstaining from food or flesh as a 
"Doctrine" of the Truth would not destroy "the 
flesh" but really hinder the Truth as "the Christ," 
or Idea of Life to be HERE LIVED. " In the world 
ye shall have trouble" which is caused by living 
"after the flesh" — sexual, and not flesh — meat or 
food of any kind, — according to two of the great- 
est teachers, and as illustrated by Meredith when 
he wrote: "we can live without love, what is pas- 
sion but pining, but where is the man that can live 
without dining." Jesus understood then as did 
Paul that it would not be practical to dwell much 
on such a subject too deep for the "natural man" 
as Paul said, — "The natural man knoweth not 
the things that be of God, for they are FOOLISH- 
NESS unto him, neither can he KNOW THEM, 
for they are Spiritually discerned." (i.e.) The 
Physical student and man working along physical 
lines, knoweth not the things that be of Thought, 
for it is Mentally discerned, and so naturally lived 
instead of Spiritually so. "The meat that perish- 
eth not," is the Spiritual Word — Christ, as Jesus 
says when referring to this Truth, — "I am the 
bread of life." This IS and HAS Life, because it 
IS Life, and is the meat — "food from heaven," 
because it is the Highest conception of Life. The 
followers of Moses "received bread," a kind of 
Truth, but was not the real Truth, since, it was 
from "The DESERT" —POOR UNDERSTAND- 
ING that Moses had of God, and is not "the true 
bread from heaven," for, to-day when Moses 
is read, "the veil" of misunderstanding is visible, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 157 

"WHICH VEIL"— BLINDNESS is taken away 
in Christ." It says in John 6: 32, 33 and 35,— 
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, Verily, I 
say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread 
from heaven, but my Father — Thought — giveth 
you the true bread from heaven. "For the bread 
of God — Thought — is he which cometh down from 
heaven, and giveth life unto the world. "And 
Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he 
that cometh to me shall never hunger : and he that 
believe th in me shall never thirst." Jesus did not 
refer to himself — the individual, as "the bread of 
life," but that the Infinite Principle of Thought — 
"Father" is the "bread" — Life which cometh 
down from heaven — the highest conception of 
life. In the above sentence, Christ — the Eternal 
Idea of life is the ONE Jesus referred to as the 
"Word," and called Jesus Christ because the Word 
— Christ was associated with Jesus. So, "I am 
the bread of life" — inasmuch as "I live" the Christ 
life as Paul says, "I live, yet, not I, but Christ 
liveth in me." Jesus wished to be excused from 
living after the Christ or Idea as is illustrated by 
this remark, — "if it were possible let this cup fall 
from me." Then he again became Conscious of 
the fact that he should continue in his present 
state of life, and finished by saying, "Not my will 
but thine be done." There are then two wills; 
one is "of the flesh," and the other is "of the Spirit." 
This "will be done" reminds me of the nonsensical 
remark of our former president, placing his as- 
sassination as being connected with the work and 
hand of a God, when he said "God's will be done." 
And it has been and is the same murderous idea 



158 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

held by those who preach the ignorant doctrine of 
what God is, and so, kill and destroy each other 
and things, and EXCUSE THEMSELVES by 
saying *'it is the will of God," or, "God is with 
us in war." 

In John 11: 1, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, it 
reads, — "Now a certain MAN was sick, NAMED 
Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her 
sister Martha. When Jesus heard THAT, he 
said, this sickness is NOT UNTO DEATH, but 
for the glory of God, that the Son of God might 
be glorified thereby. "When he had heard there- 
fore that he was sick, he abode two days still in 
the same place where he was. "These things said 
he: and after that he said unto them. Our friend 
Lazarus sleepeth, but I go, that I may awake him 
out of sleep. "Then said his disciples, Lord, if he 
sleep he shall do well. "Howbeit, Jesus spake of 
death, — but they thought that he had spoken of 
taking of rest in sleep. "Then said Jesus unto them 
plainly, Lazarus is dead. "And I am glad for your 
sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may be- 
lieve: nevertheless let us go unto him." You 
will note the italics used in "man" and "named," 
which illustrates the idea that this man named 
Lazarus is distinct from the Son — Truth to be 
"glorified"— elevated, and that MAN NAMED 
is that which is subject to death and decay, yet, 
Lazarus as I shall aim to prove was not in such a 
condition of sickness, death and decay, but AP- 
PEARED SO to the people. Jesus here "raised" 
MAN'S opinion — "Lazarus" — from "the dead" 
principles of life to that of the True and Living 
Principles of Life thru this form of Lazarus, so 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 159 

that the Truth concerning God might be RAISED, 
and thereby glorified — elevated and worshipped, 
by man rather than "the dead" principles and 
ceremonies generally taught. The resurrection — 
Knowledge of the dead — Truth as you ought to 
perceive by the verses written here was not to 
follow at some future time as they and we have 
even held to this day in regard to us. Why did 
Jesus claim that Lazarus was "asleep," and then 
change his plea to that of "death?" They, like 
we, supposed this sleep or death — hypnotic state — ■ 
was really death, and therefore said "he shall 
do well," and so is dead — the Word is dead — to the 
generation of believers in death, as he said finally 
when the word "sleep" did not have its effect, — 
"Lazarus is dead." The idea that man shall die 
or sleep until a certain time and then awake — 
rise — is a false statement, and shows as it illus- 
trates here the ignorance of the Power of Thought 
in the Mental Or Spiritual over the Physical or 
Natural, and to save man from destruction HERE. 
Jesus said "Lazarus is dead," that they who "be- 
lieved" the "old doctrine" of "the dead" being 
"resurrected," should SEE MAN ARISE NOW 
FROM THE DEAD, in proportion as he is able 
to receive — be conscious of the Truth of Spiritual 
Life NOW. This APPEARED "miracle," for 
there is no miracle in the Knowledge of Truth, 
was performed for the purpose of showing man that 
he should experience this life now as much as 
possible, else there would be no reason to the ar- 
gument of raising "Lazarus" from the dead — 
principles of death as it is illustrated here. Mira- 
cles only have their life in the "superstitious minds" 



160 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

which are always more discernible in the more 
natural persons. Continuing in John 11: 21, 23, 
24, 25, 26 and 27, we read,— "Then said Martha 
unto Jesus, Lord, If thou hadst been here, my 
brother had not died. Jesus saith unto her, thy 
brother shall rise again. Jesus saith unto her, I 
am the resurrection, and the life, he that believ- 
eth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. 
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall 
never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto 
him, yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, 
the Son of God, which should come into the world." 
Martha said, "I KNOW that he shall rise again in 
the resurrection," but Jesus contradicts this, and 
OUR knowing — "believing" — by saying, "I am 
the resurrection and the life." "He that believeth 
and liveth in me shall never die," is analogous to the 
fact that you must not only "BELIEVE," but 
must "LIVE" the life he taught, but, as we have 
unknown the known and so cannot live or, "liv- 
eth" it fully, we cannot expect to experience it 
Wholly, or, "never die." Jesus said in regard to 
this misused and abused word "believe," — "If thou 
say to this mountain, be thou removed and believe 
it can be done, it shall be removed." But we have 
not found the person who is so foolish as to be- 
lieve such, tho it illustrates what a Power belief 
has to do with the life of man, tho we know the 
mountain cannot be moved because we cannot 
believe it, yet, it could be moved if you could be- 
lieve it. The quotation illustrates how foolish 
it was for Martha or any one to believe impossi- 
bilities, or that a dead body could be made to come 
to life, yet, if you could believe it, in experience. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 161 

it would be such by experience. Spencer truly 
says, "we know nothing more of existence than a 
continued manifestation," because there is no 
other existence than what is known as Ufe in the 
Visible. So we have all been as blind as Martha, 
as to "the resurrection" of that which cannot be 
resurrected. This Idea could not exist "since the 
foundation of the world" because the Thought 
of Good and Evil had not developed to its true 
height of understanding until the time of Jesus. 
"Though he were dead, yet shall he live," was a 
direct remark to Martha THEN, and therefore il- 
lustrates that it cannot refer to an after life, nor to 
a continued life to the then and now individual, 
but refers to the Truth or Dead that shall live by 
this Knowledge given to man. Paul illustrates 
this in his remark, — "I die daily," — that is, he 
put off each day as much as possible the Natural 
condition by living the Spiritual Truth as a con- 
dition THEN, as it is now by you and I as the 
Truth works in us as it did in Jesus, "This is" and 
now is, "The Resurrection" — Knowledge. Note 
the final answer given by Martha to the question 
put to her by Jesus, — "I believe that thou art the 
Christ," which is not an ANSWER AT ALL, but 
really EVADES THE QUESTION, and so il- 
lustrates ignorance of what he was talking about. 
There is no doubt but that Jesus did feel in a 
way, that he would be saved from death, and why 
not? Since, nearly these two thousand years have 
we believed the same thing, and Jesus was no ex- 
ception to the average believer when he gave some 
thought of himself, which is selfish, and can only 
be related to the material. No doubt he thought 



162 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

he was "the Son of God" as an individual, because 
he did not understand the exact meaning of Power 
in the term that it could be applied to a person in 
the form of mesmerism, hypnotism, etc., and so 
believed this Power was from a Being, and 
that he — because he was able to use it had formed 
the opinion that he was the Son of this Being, tho 
he had a right to believe he was the individual 
Expression of what can be termed God, in that no 
form of life exists but what is in a form of unity, 
whether it be material or spiritual. If to some ex- 
tent he and man had not believed and feared, where 
would we — man — have been to-day? This of 
course is proof here, that in an ignorant genera- 
tion it is folly to be wise, or that ignorance and 
knowledge cannot associate with each other with- 
out being antagonistic. We have been taught to 
fear, and so fear has withheld us and Progress, and 
because of this we have also suffered and will suffer 
in all walks of life because of fear. But to-day we 
are learning thru a better understanding the mean- 
ing of fear, or, that ''fear hath torment, and fear 
killeth," also, "he that feareth is not made perfect 
in love." We are learning not to fear God, nor 
anything Good, but rather to destroy anything 
contrary to Good, by recognizing it as the only 
Eternal Principle of life. It is because some have 
feared and believed, that they have been free from 
violence to others, which is the one thing Religion 
has done and is doing, and should receive some 
credit in keeping such a class from violence, yet, 
it is not the true way in which to overcome or to 
destroy violence. We have wars and kill with the 
"belief" that it will right a wrong, which is not 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 163 

Scientific, because that is returning "evil for evil." 
It is a wrong against another wrong, since neither 
may be right. We are beginning to understand 
that man should be educated to "love one an- 
other," and not to hate one another as in war. 
So, I term there are two classes working, — one, a 
religious class calling themselves Christians, who, 
apparently do no wrong because of a fear of some 
God, — the other, a class called Infidels by Chris- 
tians, (but only Infidels in name, as those are 
Christians in name only who call themselves 
Christians), who do no wrong apparently because 
of a Conscious State having developed to that State 
of Consciousness which hinders them from doing 
an evil act, because they realize the punishment 
and suffering must follow here in some form or 
other, and I argue that such belong to a more 
Scientific generation, because they know what 
life is thru experience and observation. The so- 
called Christians will fall into this class as soon as 
they have received the same Knowledge, and will 
be more truly Christians, since, they will do 
nothing wrong when they have no excuse to be for- 
given, which will result in ending Evil much 
sooner than to believe an evil can be committed 
and then forgiven. So, we can readily see why 
Jesus could entertain some "hope" for the future, 
even, if he did not look to the future as some of 
his followers are doing, or rather, those who are 
claiming to follow him. 

In order to prove my previous and present state- 
ment that Jesus was not "the Son of God," and 
an opportunity for the former opinion of Jesus 
that if he had believed he was the Son of God it 



164 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

wavS here completely "knocked out," I need only 
to mention his LAST WORDS: "My God, my 
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This is a 
remark wholly and absolutely uncalled for, if 
he could THEN on the cross realize that he was 
really "the Son of God," other than the Repre- 
sentative of the Word — Christ — while in life he 
lived the Truth according to the Spiritual Idea. 
Here too, in the face of the fact that he had been 
so sincere in his teachings, and wished his disci- 
ples to follow and believe what he had said, should 
not have uttered such a remark in their presence. 
But it was more than a mortal, or any one working 
under such trials could bear, and so the words 
came forth thru volition from the shock received. 
These last words illustrate his mistake during life 
in looking for any future for him and man generally, 
while Paul's remark is more in keeping with mor- 
tals: "Ye are as sheep for the slaughter." Jesus 
had no chance to change here and give a different 
opinion to the people when he had, at the last 
moment, found his belief for himself had been 
shattered as is expressed by the words spoken, 
since, there was no God — Thought to save man, 
or to work with man after death — "God is not the 
God of the Dead." What boy is there, who, 
having accomplished all in the world that his 
father desired, never tiring of his work, knowing 
and having faith that the father would not for- 
sake him in the last moment, would then say 
"father, why hast thou forsaken me?" Besides, 
where is the father that would forsake his son who 
had done all in the world that was asked of him? 
You and I would have little use for such a father, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 165 

nor would you and I treat a son in that fashion, 
that he would have occasion to seek us in such a 
pitiful way as is expressed in these last seven 
words of Jesus. If God performed thru Jesus, all 
the so-called miracles as a Being instead of the 
Thought as Power, why not answer the people 
who said, "if he come down now, we will believe 
him," or "save yourself," and that will give us 
proof. It was just as reavSonable for him to "come 
down" then, as to claim later by a few that he did 
"rise from the grave," — in fact, it would have been 
more reasonable and no chance for a doubt, and 
he could then have made his disappearance. We 
must have proofs in order to entertain facts, be- 
cause w^e cannot get any understanding without 
proof. The principle of mathematics furnishes 
us with a Rule whereby we can PROVE THE 
ANSWER. So likewise, must we have the answer 
to the question, — "save yourself" by proving it 
is so by vsaving yourself from death, and not that 
we should listen to a few who had got "together," 
and if not having been influenced in their own 
minds, in the form of mesmerism as to seeing Jesus, 
they here formed a plan by which they could de- 
ceive the people in order that the teaching would 
be believed as to what constitutes a future life. 
To "come down" would have been a GENUINE 
MIRACLE, and not a case of deception, or, as 
Paul said "the Truth will abound more by MY 
LIE," because it seems well in an ignorant and 
superstitious generation to "give the lie." We 
have a beautiful illustration of the dead, or the 
Spiritual and Natural Idea, in the "Prodigal 
Son" as given in Luke 15: 24, saying, — "For this 



166 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

my son was dead and is alive again." The "Son" 
here was not ''dead," but was dead to the father, 
so long as absent from the father. So Jesus was 
not dead to the Father — Thought when he ex- 
pressed the Spiritual Idea only, and was THEN 
** present with the Father," but he could not avS- 
sociate himself with God when he said "let this 
cup pass from me," because that expresses the 
Natural desire to live the Natural — flesh life. 
("For this my Son was dead.") 

I trust I am making this distinction of life and 
death clear to you as to what was resurrected, 
instead of the idea that Lazarus was really resur- 
rected. So, "Jesus saith unto her, said I not 
unto thee, that, if thou wouldst believe, thou 
should see the glory of God!" Let us here turn 
again to what Jesus says in Matthew 22 : 31 and 32. 
"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, 
have you not read that which was spoken unto 
you by God, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, 
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God 
is not the God of the dead, but of the living." 
In other words, God — Thought works thruout 
all generations as this verse illustrates three genera- 
tions, or. He is God — Thought and work of Abra- 
ham, Isaac and Jacob in the form of a continued 
existence of Life. Jesus did not raise Lazarus 
from any death, for he had as much to do with the 
death — sleep — hypnotic state of Lazarus, as he 
did with the awakening — coming forth from 
"sleep." That Jesus regretted to make this de- 
ception or "my lie" in order to glorify God — 
elevate the Thought — is illustrated in John 11: 
41 and 42. "Then they took away the stone from 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 167 

the place where the dead laid. And Jesus lifted 
up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou 
hast heard me. "And I knew that thou hearest 
me always but because of the people which stand 
by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast 
sent me." You will remember by the remark 
made heretofore that Jesus first remarked to his 
disciples that Lazarus was ''NOT DEAD BUT 
SLEEPETH," in order to try their faith in him or 
his teaching, but on perceiving their lack of faith 
and understanding and unbelief he then followed 
by saying "Lazarus is dead." If they had believed 
thru the first remark — "not dead but sleepeth," 
then Jesus would have gone immediately to the 
home of Lazarus where he lay in sleep — "sickness 
unto death," for you will note after he heard of 
the sickness of Lazarus that "he abode TWO 
DAYS in the SAME PLACE where he was." 
This gave Jesus an opportunity to work on Lazarus 
as a subject, or to bring him under the Hypnotic 
state while in the form of sickness he had power 
to do so. To bring Lazarus out from under the 
influence of sickness would not convince the people 
that he — Jesus was the Example of Truth, since 
he had done this many times to other persons, 
and still, they believed him not, and here was an 
opportunity to go a step farther as a "LIE" to 
aid the Truth. There is a regret in the remark of 
Jesus — "But because the people stand by I said 
it," and did it, for, as God is not one that "sees" 
and "hears" and "says," only in appearance to an 
ignorant generation, so this remark illustrates an 
error made, and the wish afterwards to be relieved 
in Conscience, as the error — deception — miracle — 



168 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

was made in good faith. We can conclude here, 
that he had control, so to speak, over Lazarus and 
his friends after being in company with them 
so many times, and because they acknowledged 
him as a superior person. We know to-day that 
in many cases where a person has been hypnotized 
by another, that that person can be hypnotized 
by that person against the will of that person and 
at a distance. However, Jesus was evidently 
ignorant of this Power as Hypnosis in the form of 
transmission of Thought, and so believed it the 
work of a God or Being working thru him, since, 
he knew Lazarus was not in a state of death and 
decay. It is impossible to change the Reality of any- 
thing, or to get life out of a dead form. If you be- 
lieve that Jesus believed in a God as a Being, 
and that he was a Son of this Being, instead of 
working as I have defined as Thought in the form 
of Being, and then the Son of such, — you have 
only to lay aside the selfish view of Jesus in order 
to bring about the true conception as I here define 
as Thought, since, we are to take Jesus at his word 
in "taking no thought what ye shall say" — mean- 
ing that when we take thought of our remarks 
they are selfish, or are of a selfish nature. So the 
remarks that are not selfish and made by Jesus 
are those remarks we are to define only, else we 
become contradictory in definition. 

In John 12: 34, it reads, — "The people answered 
him. We have heard out of the law that Christ 
abideth forever; and how say est thou. The son 
of man must be lifted up? who is this son of man?" 
In John 14: 20, it says "At that day ye shall know 
that I AM in my Father, and ye in me, and I 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 169 

in you." They heard it right, that Christ "abideth 
forever," and the "son of man" to be "Hfted up" 
is when man born of the flesh shall hear this "Word" 
which was "made flesh and dwelt among us" is 
"the Christ," and man shall live accordingly. 
The remark made elsewhere in the Bible that 
"Ye shall dwell with him," if taken figuratively, 
or in a Natural— selfish view, or separate person 
and form of existence would seem probable as a 
future habitation for man, but now we read in the 
above that "I am IN my Father, and ye in me," 
which contradicts the idea of the form of Jesus 
and man and God living together in a locality, 
and therefore evident that the DWELLING IN, 
or, "to dwell with him," refers to a Conscious 
State. "At that day" man shall know, is a remark 
addressed to ALL and KNOWING generations, 
and we can to-day get a glimpse of "THAT DAY," 
because this is the generation of a better under- 
standing of what the words or parables in the 
Bible refer to, as this is "The day of judgment," 
therefore the "SECOND COMING." Jesus 
could not be any "part" with "the last day," yet, 
the "part" he did have in "the resurrection" or 
"the last day," was the knowledge and therefore 
the Expression of the Christ in HIS DAY. 

To give a more detailed account of "the Christ" 
as the Idea and Principle of Life as it works to 
the Eternal end of things, I will refer to Paul in 
Cor. 15: 16 to 24th verse. "For if the dead rise 
not, then is not Christ raised." That is, if the 
Christ or Idea of Spiritual Life is not "raised" — 
above the Jesus or Adam Idea of Natural Life 
in vour Conscience, then the mortal belief cannot 



170 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

be destroyed, so that man may rise above the 
Natural conditions, and therefore are they dead, 
or "rise not." "And if Christ be not raised, your 
faith is vain; ye are 3^et in your sins," (i.e.) no 
faith and belief but the Christ Idea can raise man 
above the Natural, for we are proving to-day that 
faith in the Natural things and Thought of the 
same, or in sin — sin only because it — the Natural 
hinders the Spiritual growth, which "faith is vain." 
"Then they also which have fallen asleep in Christ 
are perished," (i.e.) they, the Natural Thoughts 
"are perished," because the Truth is affirmed, and 
because of this have "fallen asleep in Christ" — 
destroyed by the Christ as the Idea of Life. 
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are 
of all men, most miserable." (i.e.) if we have hope 
"ONLY" in "THIS LIFE" of a Christ Life 
HEREAFTER, we are "most miserable in "THIS 
LIFE," since, there is no other way by which 
the evils and diseased conditions may be abolished, 
because medicine is fast failing to relieve mind and 
body, therefore, have hope in Christ NOW. "But 
now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the 
first fruits of them that slept," (i.e.,) Christ or the 
Word has been dead, owing to the lack of Knowl- 
edge being developed in the Conscience of man, or 
the belief that "the Christ" is to appear in a form 
as Jesus, and so "NOW IS Christ risen from the 
dead," thru a correct understanding — judgment 
of the Truth taught by Jesus, therefore, "the 
first fruits of them that slept," is a result of this 
awakening. "For since by man came death, by 
man came also the resurrection of the dead," 
(i.e.) by man living under the Adam or Idea of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 171 

Natural life, tho impossible to do otherwise because 
of the Natural Law; the Word was "dead" — not 
understood — but thru the Evolution of Thought 
and understanding is the Word or Christ alive — 
understood, also signifying that these conditions 
are developed or evolved and embodied by man as 
the generations pass, as it says: "by man came 
death, by man came also the resurrection of the 
dead" — the Knowledge of the meaning of the 
dead as not referring to man directly, but to the 
Truths of Spiritual Life as a Thought — God to 
abolish the Principle of the Natural condition, — 
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ, shall 
all be made alive," (i.e.) all who look to the Natural 
Idea of Life here, and a Spiritual Life hereafter, 
are under the Adamic Law of life and death ; while 
those who look to the Spiritual Idea as a Life to 
be lived here will assist — "have part" in bringing 
about the Truth, "But every man in his own order, 
Christ the first fruits, afterwards they that are 
Christ's at his coming." (i.e.) All may TAKE 
PART, or PARTAKE OF "THIS LIFE" HERE, 
but, ONE GENERATION AFTER ANOTHER 
SHALL DECLARE IT, that is, "MAN IN HIS 
OWN ORDER," "Christ the first fruits" is signi- 
ficant of the present generation, when the Spiritual 
— Christ as the Idea is affirmed during the Natural 
existence, while, "they that are Christ's at his 
coming," signifies THE END OF THE NATURAL 
CONDITION, since, it cannot come, or be present 
WHOLLY, or exist ALONE as ONE Idea, where 
there are Thoughts of a Natural life and condition. 
The word "CHRIST'S" is significant of "ALL 
MEN EVEN AS I AM," or as all men having 



172 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

the ONE IDEA— CHRIST, therefore are they 
"CHRIST'S." So then, Nature, as Emerson says, 
"works to its own end," while as Paul says Thought 
or "God worketh in you" to its own end. 

Jesus never referred to the Natural, or an earth- 
ly father and mother after he became Conscious 
of this knowledge of the Spiritual Law, because 
there could be no mother and father to it as that 
of Personal, since it was and is an Idea that can 
only be fathered and mothered as Thought. Mrs. 
Eddy says "there is no record of Jesus calling any 
man on the earth "father;" which would impress 
one with the idea of a record being in existence 
where he called a woman "mother." There 
exists no record of either in the Bible, because 
such would impress the idea that "the Christ" 
is born of man and woman, when, only Jesus as 
all men and women are born thru the process of 
Natural Law, tho we may have OPINIONS as 
Mrs. Eddy has of the birth of Jesus, or that he 
was "born of God and Mary." I will quote that 
part of a chapter where it speaks of "mother," 
when Jesus is addressed by his disciples in regard 
to his mother, which may be taken by some and 
Mrs. Eddy that he called her mother. When the 
disciples said to him: "Thy mother is standing 
without, desiring to speak with you," Jesus re- 
plied: "Who is my mother? and who are my 
brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward 
his disciples and said: Behold my mother and 
my brethren.'" The italics are mine, so as to 
impress the idea made in regard to what he looked 
at as "mother." Here he ignored the facts of a 
Natural existence, or father and mother, not but 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 173 

what he knew and believed in such an existence, 
but only, in order to "HOLD FAST to that which 
is Good — God, or an Eternal existtence of Thought 
as a Unity, as Avill be seen by his looking 
"TOWARD HIS DISCIPLES," instead of toward 
his mother. He said, "For whosoever shall do 
the will of my Father" — Thought — "which is in 
heaven" — which is the Highest conception of life 
— "the same is my brother and sister and mother." 
This signifies that "Father" is Thought, and should 
be expressed the same by all in the form of a 
Unity. "Brother and sister and mother" HERE 
indicate this, and that the disciples should re- 
ceive and live and give it out to the world as such — 
be a mother to it. Also, in verse 26 of the same 
chapter, his mother is not referred to as HIS 
MOTHER where he says to his mother, "Behold 
thy son," but that she should receive THAT 
DISCIPLE as a son; for, in the 27th verse follow- 
ing he turns likewise to this disciple and says 
"Behold thy mother." We find here, that, tho 
Jesus had been with the disciples a great length 
of time, yet, they knew not "Christ," as he aimed 
here to picture the Idea, while they looked on 
him from a personal view, and therefore, could 
not understand the meaning Jesus put forth re- 
garding his looking away from his mother. In 
John 20: 9, it says, "For as yet they knew not the 
Scriptures that he must rise again." The latter 
part of the verse — "He must rise again from the 
dead" — is significant that "the Christ" as the 
Spiritual Idea of life would appear "again" at a 
later period, "in the day of judgment" — the day 
when a better understanding of what Jesus re- 



174 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

ferred to when talking to the disciples when he 
looked away from "his mother," since, we have not 
known Christ. 

In John 20: 11, 12, 13 and 14 it says: "But Mary 
stood without at the sepulchre weeping, — and 
as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into 
the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white, sit- 
ting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, 
where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say 
unto her. Woman, why weepest thou? She 
saith unto them. Because they have taken away 
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid 
him. And when she had thus said, she turned 
herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew 
not that it was Jesus." 

We cannot say with accuracy where and how 
the body of Jesus was moved and placed, but we 
DO KNOW IT WAS NECESSARY TO REMOVE 
IT, and by his few followers, in order to "FULFIL 
THE SCRIPTURES," or that the Truth may be 
more universally "believed" in an ignorant genera- 
tion, tho it is not necessarily the Truth because it 
is "believed" as such, yet, a "he" is a help to the 
Truth in an ignorant generation. While Mary 
"stood without and weeping," the normal state 
of consciousness was replaced by a mesmeric state 
which was due to her absorbed thought of seeing 
Jesus, and therefore brought about the Visionary 
Result, or, "she saw the Lord." But we perceive 
that when she came back to her normal condition, 
that "the Lord was not there." This weeping 
and over-anxious thought for him, brought on a 
kind of nervous condition wherein she could easily 
be influenced in her own conscience by suggestive 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 175 

thought of things not realities in form as really 
existing. It says: "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me 
not: for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but 
go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend 
unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, 
and to 3^our God." Here it is plain that Mary 
could not reach a state of solidity in such a state 
of consciousness as to the Perfect state of man 
existing in real life, and for this reason a thought 
suggested that she could not "touch" him, since 
it could only be A VISION of the Truth in form, 
therefore, not the Reality of Form. It was not 
the voice of Jesus that she heard, but the same 
ECHO that Spiritualists seem to hear from the 
"departed" — dead. It appeared to her as such, 
because she saw the vision of a form, or an illuvsion, 
therefore her own thoughts seemed to come from 
that source, which thoughts could easily be formed 
while in such a state, since the opposite view brings 
about a different state of thought. Mary had and 
could not ascend to that realm of consciousness 
which Jesus had taught, while living in the decep- 
tive state, therefore she could not "ascend to 
the Father" as is illustrated by these words seem- 
ingly coming from Jesus, as he could not while in 
such a state as she believed. By the congregating 
"together" of the disciples, and their absorbed 
thought for Jesus, thru the teachings and their 
"belief" in seeing him; they were consequently 
more able to see the vision of him, and receive the 
thought of their own as coming from the vision, 
than the people who were not so interested and 
did not believe in spirits. The Word — Christ as 
taught by him must not be lost to sight, and for 



176 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

this reason it was a good thing for the disciples 
and persons in general, and even we of to-day, 
that the disciples were "ASSEMBLED TO- 
GETHER," thru what Mary said to the disciples 
concerning her "seeing;" which again brought 
about the vision of Jesus to them, and making 
the Truth appear more to them than thru his 
teaching alone. We, of to-day, may be thankful 
for what the disciples SEEMED TO SEE, else 
the whole spirit of the Letter — Word might have 
been lost. We ought to be thankful also, for what 
the insane persons SEEM TO SEE, and learn a 
lesson from such a sight, that we may not go to the 
extreme indulgences in the different forms of Evil, 
which causes them to SEE THINGS, tho the out- 
side observer or "UNBELIEVER" knows it is 
not a ReaHty. In Matthew 17: 9, it says, — 
"And as they came down from the mountains, 
Jesus charged them, saying, tell the vision to no 
man until the Son of man be risen from the dead." 
The word "vision," according to the best authori- 
ties, is "a phantom or power of sight," therefore 
NOT A THING REALLY EXISTING, or a 
REALITY BEING PRESENT. But we can 
imagine and even believe that this "vision" or 
"sight" of Truth seen by the disciples is to illus- 
trate that the Word — Christ as the Idea of Life 
will in time become a REALITY, or a Visible and 
Eternal existence, instead of the present Visible 
existence of the Real and Unreal Idea of Life — 
Christ and Adam — Spiritual and Physical — Mental 
and Natural. The disciples then, saw ONLY A 
VISION of what might become a Reality, accord- 
ing to the words of Jesus as stated in Matthew, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 177 

therefore not a Reality. The Word — Christ is at 
present True, but only VISIONARY, because it 
has been and is observed as a Vision, so, it is about 
time to ABOLISH THE VISIONARY IDEA AND 
TEACHING of a Spiritual Life in the future, 
that the "Vision" of Truth may become a present 
Possibility or a Reality. This state of mesmerism 
as referred to is nothing but another form of 
"trance," which we can imagine Paul was subject 
to, as we find others are to-day, and see and seem 
to see much that was and is not a Reality while in 
a state of trance as referred to in Acts 22: 17. 
"And it came to pass, that when I came again to 
Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I 
was in a trance." 

Like all opinions which have builded their reli- 
gions on chapters taken from some part of the 
Bible, it is here evident that Spiritualism received 
its initial step. They have as great a right in the 
"belief" of their views being correct, as other reli- 
gions based upon some other chapters, that to my 
conception seem incorrectly interpreted. After 
making a thoro study of the scriptures, if it were 
possible to believe in such theories as the average 
religious belief, then, in this chapter where it 
speaks of "seeing" Jesus; I would not sentence 
such an interpretation and belief as is made by the 
Spiritualists who claim to have seen and talked 
with their departed friends, etc., in the form of 
Spirits, yet, all other religious followers, or those 
opposed to Spiritualism believe the disciples talked 
with J^sus. That the material — your body can be 
transformed, or come under the influence of a so- 
called spiritual body so they may converse with 
each other, and then separate, according to the 



178 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Spiritualistic code is impossible in any Scientific 
Sense or Science. There can be, as illustrated 
before, no such representatives of life as a Spiritual 
body and a Material body — two bodies — other 
than what exists in Thought and body by expres- 
sion — two lives lived in the world by one person 
or body as associated and relatively to the immor- 
tality of the Soul, and mortality of the body, for 
there is "no other world" existence. So, the 
work of Spiritual Life is now and has been embodied 
by us and those gone before, and if it is unable to 
be worked out during that— this bodily existence — 
and proof is that it is not, it will continue to Evolve 
until Perfection is reached in the world by other 
existing bodies. The only reason then, for one 
person called Material, and being able to talk with 
another person CALLED (not so) Spiritual, is 
not because there is such, but because of a Mental 
state DUE TO SUCH A BELIEF, or as psychol- 
ogists claim is due to "the sub-conscious mind." 
It is Sir Oliver Lodge who, having recently been 
recognized in England with his Spiritualistic doc- 
trine, must have had in mind that he could also 
make the people of America wake up more to this 
belief, and so his "sub-conscious mind" created 
the idea as a thought coming from his Son when 
he claims "Raymond was pleased that I was 
going to America and thought (his father thought) 
I should do some good there." This is characteris- 
tic of materialism, since I find among my Spiritual- 
ist friends the same are given up much to material- 
ism in that they indulge in such like. In other 
words. Spiritualism is not relatively Spiritual, 
nor does not by its teaching tend to elevate man 
toward living the Spiritual life, but tends to elevate 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 179 

materialism. We find then, that the individual 
becomes conscious of a reply made out of his own 
thinking, and like other beliefs, the more one 
studies along these lines and beliefs, the more one 
is able to talk "with the departed," showing, one 
must be absorbed in the thought of being able to 
converse with subjects. If you believe Mr. Jones 
is in the "Spirit world" (no such place), Mr. Jones 
will reply from YOUR OWN BELIEF, and if he is 
happy, as YOU THINK HE OUGHT TO BE, 
then he — you — will reply that he is happy, from 
what you think, tho it may seem to come from some 
other place while you are under this state of men- 
tality, which is "self mesmerism." Very similar, 
are the experiences of those not in such a position 
as Spiritualists. There are cases of, where what is 
termed "hallucinations" which appear to the living 
as real, of which I quote part of an article: 
"Hallucinations and the world beyond," written in 
"Hampton Columbian Magazines." "The Rev. G. 
Lyon Turner, professor of philosophy at the Lan- 
cashire Independent College, Manchester, England, 
woke up one morning to find the ceiling of his 
room adorned with a huge chandelier of some ten 
arms, and the jets shining brightly thru the 
ground-glass globes at the end of each arm. He 
knew that v/hen he went to bed no chandelier had 
been there, and naturally feared that something 
was the matter with his eyesight. 'I moved my 
head,' he said, 'to see whether the phantom moved 
too.' But no, it remained fixed: and the objects 
and beyond it became more or less completely 
visible as I moved, exactly as would have been the 
case had it been a real chandelier. So I woke my 
wife, but she saw nothing. 



180 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"Still more bizarre was the phantasm that ap- 
peared to another Englishman. Here is his own 
account of it. ' I had just gone to bed, and was — 
at least, this was my impression at the time — 
quite awake. The door of my room was ajar, and 
there was a light in the passage which half-illumined 
my room. Suddenly I became aware of a series 
of slight taps on the passage outside. These taps 
were not sufficiently loud for a human footstep; 
on the other hand, the volume of sound was 
greater than that made by a walking-stick. I fully 
remember sitting up in bed and beholding two top 
boots trot rapidly across the room and vanish 
into the opposite wall. The illusion was astonish- 
ingly vivid, and I can recall the details to this 
day. I have never had a waking dream since." 

"It sounds like a contradiction in terms to speak 
of ghosts of the living, but, as the census of hallu- 
cinations made evident, phantasms of persons still 
in the flesh, like phantasms of inanimate objects, 
are experienced fully as often, as phantasms of 
the dead. Obviously, in such cases there can be 
nothing objective about the apparitions. Yet to 
those who have seen them, phantasms of the living 
are quite as vividly realistic and make as profound 
an impression as phantasms of the dead, for which 
they are almost always mistaken, with consequent 
anguish to the persons whom they visit. To illus- 
trate, Miss A. Cressy, while seated with her 
mother and sister in the dining-room of their 
English home, happened to glance up and saw, 
looking in at them thru an open window, a brother 
who was supposed to be in Australia. 'Oh, 
Mother,' she exclaimed, 'here's a surprise for us! 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 181 

Tom has come home!* 'Tom home! Where is he?' 
'Out on the lawn. I'll go and let him in.' She 
went to the front door and threw it open. No one 
was in sight. Tom!' she called. 'Where are you, 
Tom?' No answer. Then, thinking that in a 
jesting spirit he had hidden among the shrubbery: 
'Come in, Tom. Don't play the fool. You know 
how weak your mother's heart is. Do you want 
to kill her?' Still silence. By this time her father 
had joined the little group at the front door, and 
all four made a rapid but thoro search of the 
grounds. No one was in them, nor could anyone 
have got away without being seen. Now, from the 
mother, came the wailing cry: 'It was not Tom 
you saw, but Tom's ghost. Tom is dead!' A 
year afterwards Tom came back from Australia 
in the best of health. Oddly enough, tho, it de- 
velops that, at the time his 'ghost' appeared to his 
sister, he had been seriously ill of a fever, and in 
his delirium had constantly entreated his attendants 
to place him under a great cedar that grew on his 
father's lawn." 

This last case, while but a vision, can be traced 
as having its relation to "Telepathy" of which we 
are not in a position to define its Principle. We are 
here led to believe that "seen "and " talked with per- 
sons dead," is but a vision and so term it mesmerism, 
since it is a case of delusion in that it is not a 
reality of existence. We are more prone to accept 
these theories presented to us to-day, because we 
are living in a generation of higher tension, and 
many persons are more subject to the influence 
that may be brought before them by personalities 
who are looked up to as being their superior, yet, 



182 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

these "leaders" may be weak on the same point. 
This is why so many persons at evangelistic meet- 
ings being led by a strong personality are made 
converts. Neither is it expected that you can 
mesmerize yourself into the Spiritual State while 
living in the material, and if you fail to accept the 
Christ Idea as the illustration is given in the Bible 
for that purpose, — then you are making no Prog- 
ress towards a Spiritual Life here, — but, like the 
other, you too, are still mesmerized into believing 
you can see a Spiritual Life beyond, while you ig- 
nore the facts of Spirituality as a present possi- 
bility. Why did not Jesus appear to ALL PER- 
SONS ALIKE, instead of just the few followers, 
if there was any such Truth that he could appear 
at all after death? 

In order to give a more vivid impression of what 
I am aiming to prove is only temporal and visionary 
at times, I will quote a few remarks from the best 
authorities on the subject of Mesmerism, which 
follows with the same affirmation by the same 
writers that Mesmerism and Spiritualism are cor- 
related in their phases. 

"Those persons most readily susceptible to 
mesmeric influences generally prove to be the 
best mediums for spirit manifestation. That these 
phenomena in their higher phases — as those of 
trance, healing by touch, and subjection to the 
thought and will of another mind — are intimately 
allied with those of mesmerism, is obvious to all 
who have given any careful attention to them. 
Spiritualists, indeed, affirm that they differ only 
in this — that in the one case the operator is a 
mortal, in the other, a disembodied human spirit 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 183 

possessing a Spiritual body, instead of a physical 
one." 

After making a thoro study of the above re- 
marks, and other experiences and observations 
along similar lines, I can only form one conclusion, 
— that Mesmerism and Spiritualism are one and 
the same thing. It would hardly be considerate 
for the Spiritualist to claim any real connection 
with mesmerism, since such an idea would remove 
the religious feeling, and thereby lessen the faith 
of its followers. If "those persons most readily 
susceptible to mesmeric influence generally prove 
to be the best mediums for spirit manifestation," 
it might be well to turn our attention to those 
persons SUBJECT to mesmerism. 

"About 1774, Mesmer, a Viennese physician, 
commenced to treat diseased organs by the appli- 
cation of artificial magnets. The phenomena ex- 
hibited by his patients, especially the more ner- 
vous kind, led him to adopt the view that the mag- 
nets operated not as a SPECIAL source of influence, 
but as conductors of a magnetic fluid which he 
could communicate at will to the patient, even at a 
distance. 

"In 1785, a Royal commission was appointed 
to examine Mesmer's pretentions. These inves- 
tigators found that the same phenomena could 
be produced in Mesmer's more nervous patients 
when blindfolded, by merely inducing them to 
suppose themselves in the neighborhood of any of 
Mesmer's magnetic appliances, tho none were 
present; while conversely, magnets, and magnetic 
tree were alike powerless, if the patient were kept 
unaware of their proximity." 



184 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

This sums up the problem that Mesmerism and 
Spiritualism are the same in action, — it being 
understood that by "inducing them to SUPPOSE 
themselves in the neighborhood of any of Mesmer's 
magnetic appliances" would produce the same 
result as if the "Medium" or "Mesmerizer" were 
present. The influence of the Mesmerizer Is 
"UNNECESSARY and in ALL CASES unim- 
portant." It is necessary in Spiritualism and mes- 
merism to obtain the desired effect, for, by and 
thru the "Medium" and "Mesmerizer" the per- 
sons present can be induced to "suppose them- 
selves" to be in communication with persons in 
the form of spirits, and the mesmerizer can make 
suggestions as to what is to be done by those 
under the spell of mesmerism, yet, neither have 
power over the other, since, it is the thought work- 
ing in the Conscience of the persons present who 
are under the state of being present with other 
persons. It says the "more nervous persons"are 
the best "subjects" because they are more prone 
to suggestion. What is the result of the STILL 
"more nervous kind," but that condition called 
insanity? Under such mental conditions, no ob- 
jects appear to the OUTSIDE OBSERVER, 
which SEEM REAL to their SIGHT OR VISION. 
Therefore, these or such like conditions that are 
prevalent to the insane, are subject to change, if 
that person returns to the normal state of Reason. 
If the insane ideas were true, the realitv of their 
existence would APPEAR TO ALL ALIKE so 
the proof of their actuality would then remain 
fixed, or incessant. To-day, we have "healing" 
thru the practise of Spiritualism, Hypnotism, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 185 

Mental Science and Christian Science, all of which 
refer to some degree as to "Mind over Matter," 
tho the latter two claim "there is no matter." 
We find, therefore, the Truth o^ which Jesus taught 
IS to "overcome the world," instead of teaching, 
as Mrs. Eddy claims, "Man is Spiritual and not 
Material," which will never make him "overcome 
the world" here, any more than the other doc- 
trines. I will agree that "I am" Spiritual and not 
Material. That is, "I am" is the same Idea — 
Christ — referred to when Jesus said "I am" not 
of the world, which is the same "ye are" not of 
the world, if the " I am" of you represents the same 
Idea — Christ — that Jesus Manifested. Here again, 
as I understand Christian Science, is why "by 
their fruits ye shall know them" is because by 
holding in Thought and Mind the Idea — Christ 
is not and cannot he sick, because it is not ma- 
terial, will, if not too late, respond by action on the 
material body, in that it elevates to that extent 
of healing Thru having greater Power over the 
Material. The faith in this does the healing, just 
as faith in the Doctor and his medicine does the 
healing, since medicine, as those Physicians with 
whom I have talked admit the fact that the 
medicine will not cure the disease. Some followers 
may say "It is not the fault of the teaching" be- 
cause some have not advanced more than others, 
but I argue that any teaching is at fault if it can- 
not change its followers, because the followers 
cannot be at fault, since, they are only guided by 
what they are taught and believe. That is just 
the reason followers of any teaching are lacking, 
because somewhere, the teaching is lacking. Chris- 



186 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

tian Science affirms that "man is perfect," as it 
claims "God is perfect" and that "WE" continue 
so, as a Spiritual Being, thereby, lessening the 
ability of the Thought or God to bring about such 
a state of Being Perfect HERE, as referred to by 
Jesus when he said, "Be ye therefore perfect, 
even as your Father in heaven is perfect." This 
sentence simply illustrates that only thru the 
"heaven" — Highest conception of life can man 
become Perfect, and not that he is at present per- 
fect, any more than God is Perfect, since, God — 
Thought cannot be Perfect in the visible (there is 
no Invisible Being) until the visible is Perfect, be- 
cause nothing exists until it is visible, tho the idea 
may be Perfect in Principle, just as the Principle 
of Mathematics is Perfect, while mistakes can be 
made in an example. Then again; why use this 
parable in the Church, or "pray to be perfect," 
if it is to follow at some future time? So, it is time 
to abolish past beliefs, for, as it says, "the devil 
knoweth he hath but a short time to live," is signifi- 
cant of the fact that the present day Truth is 
having its effect on "the devil" — evil as it has 
been working "side by side" with Good. The 
Physical — "Devil" is working along all lines, 
such as "Sanitary Law," or that, to not heed the 
work of its followers, and live up to their principles 
will bring on disease. The foolhardy ideas of "open 
window schoolhouses" and the like, are just to 
evade the Truth, since to acknowledge and live 
the Truth would hinder pleasure in the flesh — and 
no kingdom will work against its own Kingdom. 
"The Devil" — flesh — will not work against its 
own. To "feed the lambs and sheep" we must 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 187 

abide by the Truth, for, the lambs and sheep are 
not people, but the Truth and Love of the same 
that has been "slaughtered" by Error and the 
Love of it. This Truth and Love of the same, is 
"the fold" that man must "enter" — entertain — 
for thereby he will be "entertaining angels una- 
wares." To "feed" is to UPHOLD the Truth. 
When confronted by the "damsel," Peter did not 
uphold the Truth when he said "I know not the 
man," therefore, he fed or upheld a lie for fear of 
what might become of Peter if he then told the 
Truth about knowing Jesus. Jesus was condemned 
by the Pharisees because "he made himself the 
Son of God," which was the actual Truth of the 
Spirit — God — Thought in which he lived, and 
aimed to teach others to live the same, tho not 
the God-like, or the Christ-like ideas as preached 
then and now. 

In Revelation 1: 10 and 11 it reads, — "I was in 
the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me 
a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha 
and Omega, the first and the last: and what thou 
seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven 
Churches which are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and 
unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamor, and unto 
Thyatria, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, 
and unto Laodicea."' 

We must admit that Revelation is composed 
mostly of words which are to be used as symbols of 
something, otherwise some of the remarks are 
queer and ludicrous and even absurd. St. John 
was under such a state of visionary seeing, and 
this accounts for the lucid tho queer to the view 
of the average mortal of the understanding of 



188 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Spiritual significance, and their symbolic meaning. 
He "was in the Spirit" because he lived very much 
from the world as Jesus did, which was the reason 
also that "Jesus loved this disciple," more than 
the others, just as one man who drinks liquor, 
loves to be in company with one who does like- 
wise. 

The words "Behind me" signifies that as Paul says, 
The natural man "cannot see this form" — hear 
this great voice," because it is perceived only thru 
the Spiritual Sense of Sight — "it is spiritually dis- 
cerned" — which "as a trumpet" signifies filling 
space or "everywhere present," and not coming 
FROM HEAVEN or ANY LOCALITY, but IS, 
for, as it says, "as OF a trumpet" — the word 
trumpet is symbolic of signifying volume in ex- 
pansion of space, and is "the first and the last" 
because it is the Universal Law of Truth to be the 
first and the last, or, "the beginning and ending" 
— "Alpha and Omega." The "seven churches" 
referred to, are symbolic of all and any religious 
denominations giving out their different views, 
which may be likened to the "seven" religious 
denominations given by Geo. Cram in his diagram 
of the world. These are, — the "Brahmins, Jews, 
Protestants, Greek Church, Roman Catholics, 
Mohammedans, and Buddhists." The "seven 
golden candlesticks" represent these religions as 
giving light to the world in the way of the Truth. 
It reads, — "the seven stars are the angels of the 
seven churches, and the seven candlesticks which 
thou sawest are the seven churches" — religions. 
We read of their being criticized in chapter two, 
altho it reads, — "For my name's sake hast thou 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 189 

labored, and hast not fainted," — "Nevertheless 
I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast 
left thy first love." "Nevertheless, repent, and 
do the first works; Or else I will come unto thee 
quickly, and remove thy candlestick." We can 
imagine to-day that one by one the "candlestick" 
is being taken away from all such "doctrines" 
as is represented in the Church, because, while 
each Church is aiming to send out "Angels" — 
Thoughts as to Truth, they have and do fail to 
bring back good results. The "seven angels which 
stood before God" are also symbolic of the "seven 
churches," because they represent the many or 
different doctrines — angels — Thoughts of the "One 
angel." But when the "mighty angel came down 
from heaven," or the One angel of Truth, because 
there can be but One Doctrine of any Truth, we 
hear what the seven churches say to-day, as the 
representatives of religious creeds said in the time 
of Jesus, "Crucify him." They hear this mighty 
angel "with a loud voice as when a lion roareth; 
and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered 
their voices," which "seven thunders" symbolize 
the NOISE AND UPROAR made by the seven 
churches — religions — when again, or, the "second 
coming" is visible, in that to-day is the Scientific 
Truth which is the One Voice of Truth is sounded. 
But it says,— "SEAL UP THOSE THINGS 
WHICH THE SEVEN THUNDERS UTTERED, 
AND WRITE THEM NOT." Their time is 
come, because the "little book" is the One Doc- 
trine — Book, and not the doctrines — "MANY 
BOOKS" that have sounded. "And he said unto 
me, Thou must prophesy again before many people, 



190 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

and nations, and tongues, and kings." This 
"prophesy AGAIN," is significant of the fact that 
past opinions and beliefs are to be changed, or 
that the first prophecy as given by Jesus was not 
understood, so "again," Science must reveal to an 
ignorant generation what the Real Truth is con- 
cerning a Spiritual Life here, just as it has revealed 
the facts of organic life here, tho unbelieved by 
many to be as developed. The "reed like unto a 
rod" symbolizes a faith, tho not a faith — "reed 
shaken by the wind" — changed at will. A "reed 
and rod" — the word "rod" symbolizing a faith — 
"reed" — that will endure, because it is hardened 
to the test. The "rod" that will endure is able in 
"the measuring of the temple," which "measuring" 
signifies making a distinction between the temple 
— word of God, "which temple ye are," and the 
temple — Word of Satan, which temple ye are, so 
long as you manifest the opposite. 

Both — Jew and Gentile, are represented as the 
"two witnesses," for, "both shall prophesy," 
which means that "all nations" shall be of the same 
mind and Thought in their work, since God — 
Thought does not favor one more than another, 
neither indeed can be, since Thought is no respecter 
of persons. The "four and twenty elders" which 
occupy the "four and twenty seats," is symbolic 
of the Greek Alphabet. Webster defines characters, 
or letters as "persons," so I conclude that the 
character, person and letter are synonyms, as 
used in Revelation to express the true character and 
reputation of the word. The Greek Alphabet, 
to my Knowledge, is the "twenty-four elders," 
because the Alphabet consists of twenty-four 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 191 

characters, namely, — Alpha — "the beginning" — 
Beta, Yamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, 
Iota, Kappa, Lamda, Mu, Nu, Xi, Omikron, Pi, 
Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, Psi, and 
Omega — "the ending" — "beginning and ending." 
These letters — "elders" — are significant of being 
"clothed in Vv^hite" because white is the symbol of 
purity, so, Thought in such letters — characters — 
of Truth are the "crowns of gold" referred to here. 
"The throne" signifies or represents the Universal 
Consciousness in individual form — man . ' ' Twenty- 
four seats" signify the foundation on which the 
twenty-four elders builded the Truth. The "four 
beasts" are symbols of Europe, Africa, Asia and 
America, and their possessions as earthly condi- 
tions, since, we cannot conceive of any animals — 
"beasts full of eyes BEFORE and BEHIND." 
The "eyes before and behind" are here significant 
of connections between the different countries — 
beasts, or that they are related to each other. "The 
first beast was like a lion," symbolizes Europe, 
which has represented strength as a beast of power, 
but like the lion that roars and boasts of its power, 
this monarch power cannot live forever, as it 
says, — "WAS like a lion." The "second beast 
like a calf," symbolizes Africa, because of its 
WEAKNESS and subjection to other powers — 
beasts. The "third beast had a face as a man," 
symbolizes Asia, because it is generally regarded 
as the birthplace of the human race — "man" — 
and the most ancient seat of civilization, as well 
as the locality in which Jesus appeared and did his 
works. The "fourth beast was like a flying eagle," 
symbolizes America, because of its being more 



192 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

separate as the wings of an eagle would indicate 
this, and by this separation develops independency, 
which naturally develops a Higher Thought and 
form of government, and soon becomes recognized 
by the other powers — beasts — as ABOVE and 
SUPERIOR to them, as "a flying eagle" symbolizes 
this. 

In Rev. 13: 18, it reads, — "Here is wisdom. Let 
him that hath understanding count the number of 
the beast: for it is the number of a man, and his 
number is six hundred threescore and six." The 
number of the beast is the same as the man, be- 
cause they are on an equal footing, or cannot be 
represented without each other and here, the beast 
is Evil, and man — the beast part is evil, therefore 
their number is ALIKE, or, his number is 666 or is 
equal as will be seen by his number. So "the name 
of the beast," or number of his name "are many 
evils," as we read in Mark 5:7. "And he asked 
him, What is thy name? and he answered, saying, 
My NAME is legion: for we are many." So "the 
number of the beast" is "legion" — many evils, 
and is the number of a man — men, because many 
live with "the beast." The beast here takes on 
the form of disease referred to in Mark, because 
beast is Material and Evil is Material — Natural, 
while the "four beasts" referred to above repre- 
sents the world, because the world is Material. 
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord," that 
is, the idea of the life in mortality is being removed 
by the Knowledge — Resurrection of immortality 
as present instead of future. And THEN, "Satan 
is bound" by the fact that God is loosed. "And 
whosoever was not found written in the book of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 193 

life, was cast into the lake of fire." That is, — all 
doctrines as "written in the books" concerning 
material life and death and the evil thereof, are 
cast aside, or into the "lake of fire" — burning 
Truth, because they are not of, nor can they be 
"written in the book of life," "Books of life" 
symbolizes MORE THAN ONE Doctrine or 
Creed, while "Book" is a symbol of One Doctrine 
— Christ. Again it says, — "And death and hell 
delivered up the dead which were in them, and 
they were judged every man according to their 
works." "And death and hell were cast into the 
lake of fire. This is the second death." The "doc- 
trines written in the books" being "whosoever," — 
material ideas, are what "death and hell delivered 
up" when the Truth became known, for it was they 
— evil doctrines which were in them because they 
were of them. Note with me, that it does not say 
"every man" is judged according to HIS WORK, 
but according to "THEIR WORKS." If the word 
"every" had not been connected with the word 
"man," then it might be possible to believe it 
referred to man that "works," and should be 
judged accordingly. But the word "works" in 
connection with "their" and the word "every" 
in connection with the word "man," cannot be asso- 
ciated together as man who works or that it is 
man who speaks. If it read every man according 
to his work, it could refer to man directly, as the 
one who works, but by adding the S to work, and 
their to works, it signifies that they were judged 
every man according to what works, which is the 
work of Evil, or "their works," making as I have 
said all along and aim to prove it is God and 



194 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Satan — Good and Evil working, and that no man is 
condemned hereafter for the work of Evil, but is 
condemned or not according to Good and Evil 
working here. Jesus gives my exact idea, when he 
said ** every man shall be scattered to HIS own," 
because it draws out my meaning, or that the re- 
mark made here in Revelation cannot refer to you 
or man directly when it says "every man according 
to THEIR works." It should be a singular word — 
"HIS," instead of the plural word — "their," if 
it referred to man directly, because the word 
"every" gives the plural meaning to the sentence. 
The work of the Natural Thoughts are known or 
judged— understood by "THEIR WORKS" to 
be corrupt, in that the Natural is against the Spirit- 
ual, or "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit," since, 
the "tree is known by its fruit." "And death and 
hell were cast into the lake of fire," signifies that 
only THE IDEA of death and hell were cast into 
the lake of fire, or, that such ideas cannot be for- 
ever, or called the Truth, but are destroyed when 
the Truth is known, which is "the lake of fire," 
for "death and hell" are not men, but the result of 
Evil and Material conditions. They will be de- 
stroyed — abolished, or burned by "the lake of 
fire," which Truth — Fire is the Spirit that is al- 
ways burning to destroy the opposite conditions 
of life. In this verse it corroborates my former 
statement that the Natural belief or worldly con- 
dition which IS "death and hell" to man, is the 
"SECOND DEATH," for, it says,— "And death 
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. THIS 
IS THE SECOND DEATH." I again repeat that 
it does not refer to man — you — but is the work of 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 195 

Evil, tho man or you must suffer in the Sense that 
you are Conscious of Evil, and you will enjoy in 
the Sense that you are Conscious of Good NOW. 
In 2nd Cor., 11th chapter, 14th and 15th verses 
it says, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is 
transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it 
is no great thing if his ministers also be trans- 
formed as ministers of righteousness; whose end 
shall be according to their works." 

You will note here that '* according to their 
works," refers to "ministers," or men, but the 
repetition of the word "ministers" in the same 
sentence makes it clear, that, while the ministers 
are men, they are "his ministers," or, showing 
as I argue that men — ministers are working ac- 
cording to HIS works — Satan — "the angel of 
light," and not according to the ministers as men, 
or "their works." Here again, "their works" can 
be applied to men, but not in the same meaning as 
"their works" quoted from Revelation. It is 
properly used here, because it uses the word minis- 
ters properly, or it does not read "every minister 
according to their works," or as using the plural 
meaning twice, when it should be used but once, 
as every minister according to HIS works, and not 
"every man according to their works." However, 
Paul is mistaken by referring to Satan as having 
"ministers of righteousness," because, as Jesus 
said, "every kingdom divided against itself cannot 
stand," tho Paul may have held the idaa that Satan 
would be "reformed." 

In Revelation where it speaks of "the souls of 
them that were slain," it signifies the Spirtual 
Senses of life embodied by man, which are con- 



196 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

tinually working, but has been and is "slain" — 
not understood. Both — the Natural thinking, 
Senses — Souls — are working to THEIR OWN 
END, but the END of the Natural Senses or Souls 
is prophesied which is "death," while the END of 
the Spiritual Senses or Souls "IS life everlasting.'' 
The Natural Soul or Sense is Natural thinking, 
while the Spiritual SOUL or SENSE is Spiritual 
thinking, and as it says: these Spiritual Senses — 
"Souls HAVE BEEN slain"— MISUNDER- 
STOOD " for the word of God," but are now under- 
stood, as signified by the remark in Revelation, 
as "alive forever more." "The souls of them that 
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus," are the 
same Senses that have been "beheaded" — slain 
or not understood "since the foundation of the 
world," but are now understood thru the destruc- 
tive principles of the Natural Senses, which same 
are the diseased and death conditions of man. All 
Natural Senses of appetite shall be destroyed, 
which are destroying the character and health of 
man. The smoke emerging from "the bottomless 
pit" is significant of the result of the destruction of 
the Natural Sense, because it has no foundation in 
fact, therefore, "bottomless," while "the sun and 
the air" signifies the Spiritual — Eternal Light and 
Life, since. Sun and Air represent life. These 
Spiritual Senses of man "were darkened by reason 
of the smoke" — Natural being consumed, which 
were "of the pit." In this Natural Sense of life, 
"there came out of the smoke locusts upon the 
earth," — that is, Natural Thoughts of the One 
Evil is represented by the form of "Locusts" in 
all forms of life. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 197 

It speaks of the "twelve tribes" being saved, 
and of "twelve foundations," — but Paul says, — 
"For other foundation can no man lay than which 
IS LAID, which is Jesus Christ." So then, there 
can be but "one foundation," tho the "twelve" 
are SEEN and given by St. John, because of the 
twelve apostles teaching — working on the same 
foundation. "The city lieth four square and the 
length is as large as the breadth," — which is sym- 
bolic of the Truth of Spiritual Life as always the 
same in Principle, and a Spiritual Creation, "whose 
builder and maker is God" or Thought, and not 
due to the individual or man directly. It has "a 
wall great and high that no man can build," which 
symbolizes that it is not a material structure, 
therefore, the Truth of Spiritual Life built as it 
says above, by God, and signifies the end of mor- 
tality. "And he measured the city with the reed 
twelve thousand furlongs, the length, and the 
breadth and the height are equal," which, if taken 
metaphorically, or as referring to anything but 
Spiritual Life in the form of Creation, would be 
absurd, since, man could not build, nor even meas- 
ure such — "the height," nor live under such con- 
ditions. This simply illustrates that the Spiritual 
Idea or Christ of Life cannot be REACHED, 
BUILT OR MEASURED by the Natural Idea 
of Life, but is built by the Spiritual understanding, 
which is ABOVE the Material conception of life. 
"And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred 
and forty and four cubits." We have learned that 
the "Foundation" is the teaching of Truth in the 
Form of Spiritual Life, therefore, "the wall" — man 
built upon the Principle of this foundation, must 



198 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

refer to the Spiritual Idea or Christ in ''the image 
of God" — Thought. This you must agree with, 
when reading the latter part of the sentence which 
says, — "according to the measure of a man, that 
is of the angel" — which again, if taken figuratively 
would be absurd, since we cannot conceive of any 
man reaching such a height as "A hundred and 
forty and four cubits." It reads, "the measure of 
a man," and not a city and man, and continues 
by adding "THAT IS, of the angel," — signifying, 
man is to reach the Highest conception of Life 
thru God as Thought— "THE ANGEL." 

Thruout all the teaching by Jesus and his 
Apostles, some distinction and partiality was shown 
between the Jew and Gentile, which is not in direct 
accordance with the law of any Truth and Error, 
therefore not according to God and Satan — "Good 
and Evil," since God and Satan are "NO RE- 
SPECTER OF PERSONS." In my opinion, how 
truly was Jesus rebuked in his Conscience by this 
Universal Law of Truth as we read in Matthew 
15: 24 to 28. "But he answered and said, I am 
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of 
Israel. "Then came she and worshipped him, 
saying. Lord help me! " But he answered and said. 
It is not meet to take the children's bread, and 
cast it to dogs. "And she said. Truth Lord; Yet 
the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their mas- 
ters' table. "Then Jesus answered and said unto 
her, O woman, great is thy faith." The general 
sentiment of the people seems to be that Jesus 
was here testing the "faith" of those present and 
the woman. But the above and last remark made 
by the woman simply illustrates the partiality 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 199 

shown by Jesus and all men generally. This is 
also the reason why the ignorant people of his 
time and the present, were and are led to believe 
in "master" and "servant," and continue to eat 
"the crumbs which fall from their masters' table," 
in the way of small earnings, when they are the 
source thru which most of the earnings have been 
made. But there shall be no "masters" and 
"servants" when the true brotherhood of man 
shall be known and lived, yet, all will be servants, 
in the true sense of the word. This is not the first 
time Jesus had to say "Not my will, but thine be 
done." Emerson says, — "Jesus would absorb the 
race: but Tom Paine, or the coarsest blasphemer 
helps humanity by resisting this exuberance of 
power." 

We read in Matthew 22: 41 to 46,— "While the 
Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 
"saying, what think ye of Christ? Whose Son is 
he?" "They say unto him, the Son of David. 
"He saith unto them. How then doth David in 
Spirit call him Lord, saying, "The Lord said unto 
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make 
thine enemies thy footstool? "If David then call 
him Lord, how is he his Son? "And no man was 
able to answer him a word, neither durst any 
Man, from that day forth, ask any more ques- 
tions." These few verses contain the Whole 
Letter of the Christ, which is the Spirit, the Word, 
and the Truth of Life. The correct interpretation 
will disclose the fact that Christ is no Eternal 
connection to Jesus, with Jesus, and so, not the 
Son of David as Jesus here cites, altho Jesus was 
the offspring — lineage of David after the form and 



200 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

continued law of the Natural Creation. ''They 
say unto him, the Son of David," but, David 
in Spirit, called Christ or God, ''My Lord," there- 
fore, Christ could not be the Son of David, as 
Jesus says, "If David then call him Lord, how is 
he his Son?" IT illustrates that when David 
looked above and away from the Natural and 
Temporal conception of life, or "David in Spirit," 
to the Spiritual and Eternal conception of Life, 
he beheld Christ — "my Lord" — which Christ is 
God, because "I and my Father are ONE." 

We read in Matthew 24: 22, "And except those 
days should be shortened, there should no flesh 
be saved, but for the elects' sake those days shall 
be shortened." This plainly tells of the MAN OF 
TO-DAY, which shall not be the MAN OF TO- 
MORROW, or that there is no escaping the Evolu- 
tion of Thought and Man, any more than man could 
escape the Evolution of Natural formation, and 
ask the foolish question, "What am I here for, 
or Why am I here," when he is here because he 
cannot escape existing conditions, and the fact 
he is here because his parents were married. "The 
elects' sake" signifies Evolution, and to repeat 
Emerson: "If John was perfect, why are you and 
I alive?" Paul says, "without us," or, as we ap- 
pear to-day, — flesh and Spirit — "the elects" 
could not reach the height of Perfection, or, if man 
could reach the height of Perfection without flesh, 
"there should no flesh be saved." 

Paul says, "For the law of the Spirit of Christ 
Jesus hath made me free from the law of Sin and 
death," AS MUCH AS I AM ABLE TO ABIDE 
BY THAT LAW. In other words, Paul received 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 201 

the law relating to the Spiritual Life and so was not 
under the belief of the law of sin and death, or, 
that man should not be under the belief of a law of 
sin and death, which is material, and then expect 
to reach the Spiritual Life hereafter. He simply 
received and acknowledged the law of Truth — 
''new law" — but because of living under ''the law 
of sin and death" — "old law" — before the under- 
standing of the new law came to him as it must 
come to all, he was in part subject (all men are and 
will be until the old law is entirely abolished — 
destroyed) , to the old law, from the very fact that 
that part of life lived under the Natural Law, was, 
and is Material. We are not entirely free from all 
worldly Thoughts — old law — and conditions at 
this period, neither indeed can be, under the present 
existence, but it is OUR WORK thru the Work of 
Thought in the form of Truth — new law — to de- 
stroy the old law of "sin and death." This can 
only be accomplished by not recognizing any 
more than possible "the law of sin and death," 
since, the only way to destroy anything is to have 
only one in mind, as it says, "Ye cannot serve God 
and mammon." We have worshipped Jesus and 
the like, but we find as he says, "there is no good 
in me." In Revelation, it says, "Worship thou 
God, and not Jesus, for, "I am thy fellow servant 
also, worship thou not me." 

The word Christian is derived from the word 
Christ, therefore, to be a Christian, one should 
really live the Christ life only. But, we have 
looked up to Jesus and others generally who aim 
to hold themselves equal to him, therefore, we 
cannot expect to grow towards the Spiritual, if 



202 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

we recognize the Material or Jesus as "the Christ." 
We call ourselves Christians and some others we 
call Infidels and Heathen, when there is not one 
of us — Christian, Heathen or Infidel who has 
lived up to the Christ and so cannot be Christian , 
but in NAME only. So, there is not a Christian 
to-day, in fact, we could not live such a life under 
the present conditions. Jesus only revealed the 
Christ, and therefore the Christian Idea of life, 
for, he did not live it, neither could he, because it 
was impossible then, as it is now impossible to 
live the Christ-Idea in its True Sense or Soul of 
an existence. Jesus was "the man of sorrows," 
because he looked at others living in happiness 
to a certain extent under a law he was not teaching, 
and because it was no more than Natural. Jesus 
and Paul had not lived without this desire and ex- 
perience, when we consider the conditions of their 
time, for, it was so much more Natural — Animal — 
than in the present, because we are living in a more 
Spiritual or Mental state of existence because of the 
growth of the Mental. Paul's remark, — "He was 
in all points tempted like as we," is significant that 
Jesus at some time had yielded, for, in no other 
way is it possible for man to know the opposites 
unless he can experience both. The man who has 
never indulged in liquor, is no authority on pro- 
hibition, because he does not know what his ex- 
perience would be to the point of explanation. If 
the people believed Jesus supernatural, and do 
believe such, this is not proof that such was and 
is the case, since, no man is able to know the exact 
life of another, especially in such private matters 
as these, because he can have no proofs of the same. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 203 

Besides, it would be absurd to use the word "fast" 
in connection with the life of Jesus, or any person, 
if he or that person had not been tempted and 
yielded. We will not consider the present day 
theory of " smatterers" in Religion, as in the time 
of Jesus, they taught the "fast" as referring to 
food, which we find from the words of Paul and 
Jesus it is the "lust of the flesh," to abstain from. 
The word fast would lose its significance if you 
did not ABSTAIN from doing or using that which 
you were in the HABIT of doing or using. So, 
the animal — flesh — or brute nature still predomi- 
nates in some, more than in others. 

While I have aimed to prove that the word 
Christ — Christian does not refer to the general 
life of man, but as dealing with the character, or the 
Spiritual in that it is above the material and in- 
dulgence, we will refer to it — Christian as a part of 
the general life, simply because it has been and is 
used thru custom to be so. I read an article in a 
newspaper recently, telling of "Christians in Rus- 
sia killing the Jews." This is really amusing, 
when we consider the inconsistency of the same, 
01 that it is and should be characteristic of a Chris- 
tian in the act of killing. It is only characteristic 
of Barbarians or Cannibals to kill, yet, we uphold 
and kill each other, and cry "Christian" as applied 
to ourselves, while we cry "heathen" and also try 
to Christianize them. "There shall be wars" 
simply illustrates the existence of brute nature, 
which cannot cease until this selfishness and hatred 
of "Nation against Nation" shall be abolished 
with a more brotherly feeling. Spencer illustrates 
the non-brotherly feeling in the following, — "If 



204 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

the due performance by the state of its all-essen- 
tial function had been the question on which 
elections were fought, we should not see, as we do 
now, that a shivering cottager who steals palings 
for firewood, or a hungry tramp who robs an or- 
chard, gets punishment in more than the Hebrew 
measure, while great financial frauds which ruin 
their thousands bring no punishment." 

We had better stop propagation at once, and 
thereby save the trouble and expense to a family, 
if we are only to send the increase to be slain in 
war. Here again, we find there are "inducements" 
offered persons to become married, and also 
that they should raise "large families." How- 
ever, the ones who advocate this, are those who 
are the least interested in that they raise no large 
families. This being the case, it plainly shows why 
the other fellow should raise large families, since, 
many children in a family keep the head of the 
family "on the rocks." This sums up the whole 
thing, in that the large families are an asset to the 
money king, who raises few children. I argue that 
it is a crime for the parent to bring into the world 
any more of their like than they are able to support. 
And "support" in this generation does not mean — 
like the animal— ONLY AN EXISTENCE, as 
many are obtaining to-day. It means a thoro 
education in all which tends to build up soul and 
body. Reform and right cannot be brought about 
by war. So it is easy for me to sit in office and tell 
others what to do, especially, if I have no part 
in the disaster, and really reap the benefit 
and reward that others really won thru death in 
war. Is it not time then in which the people 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 205 

shall not be governed by the few, since the people 
are they who have done the fighting for freedom? 
but only receive more "bondage" and less freedom. 
What Hypocrisy! in the name of God, as it is 
given out to the troops by the Rulers that it is 
so, when it is for their own selfish gain. Jesus 
said "Woe unto you also, ye lawyers: for ye lade 
men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye 
yourselves touch not the burden with one of your 
fingers." How true this is of the law makers 
generally. They make such laws to suit themselves, 
or Sunday laws, — but if they were compelled to 
fill them, they would not "be able to bear them." 
In other words, they are men of leisure, as their 
office has no restriction over time generally, and 
with plenty of time outside of Sunday, for all 
kinds of amusements and the like; the laws which 
they make for Sunday, trouble them not. These 
same persons would not "touch the burden" with 
their own hands, which they throw upon the 
shoulders of others. They, as did the Pharisees, 
may do other things on Sunday which would be 
less in keeping with, and contrary to the Spirit 
of God. Think of the graft that most of them plot 
during the week, and make PRETENSE of obeying 
the Truth by going to Church on Sunday. No 
wonder Jesus was compelled to talk outside of the 
Church, or to "THE MULTITUDES" instead 
of THE FEW. He illustrated this by saying: "A 
rich man can hardly enter the kingdom of heaven" 
— that is, A man looking only to money as his 
God, cannot entertain the Spirit of a better and 
Higher life. Those who have tried to satisfy them- 
selves with the general principle of religious be- 



206 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

liefs are awakening to the fact that such is not 
furnishing positive proof as to its Truth, because 
of an unsatisfied generation which is so prevalent. 
We find that the true spirit is not to condemn your 
brother for what SEEMS to you an evil, while in 
YOUR OWN HEART there lie many faults. 
The only evils then to condemn, whether it be on 
Sunday or a week day, are those which interfere 
with the homes of others, as we read in Exodus 
21: 17. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's 
house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, 
nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor 
his ox, nor anything that is thy neighbor's." 
THESE THINGS, are wrong at any time, but, 
as Jesus says, — "To eat with unwashed hands de- 
fileth not the man," for IT IS ONLY A CUSTOM, 
which is followed to-day more than the Truth. 
If you deny a man his rights, by shutting him off 
from innocent amusements, you are only seeing 
to it, that he lives up to YOUR LAWS, instead of 
the laws of Truth. We should be allowed to open 
any legitimate business on Sunday (any other 
ought to be closed ALL THE TIME, but because 
of those who are not able to overcome certain things 
they are open, and should, in this case, be open), 
or attend any respectable entertainment when we 
feel disposed to do so, and should there be any 
disturbance among the spectators, we have ofificers 
who should look after them. But because of a 
few that would make trouble ANY TIME AND 
PLACE, it should not be considered that those of 
a peaceful mind should suffer. But, here it is 
again, the majority must suffer for the work of the 
few, as in law making and the like. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 207 

We make Sunday laws because the ancient 
writers HAD A VISION, or more properly speak- 
ing, an insane idea that God "worked six days and 
rested on the seventh," and, of course, if God 
worked only six, it must be a sin for man to work 
seven days. To even "hint" that to do a work of 
any kind, or in pleasure of anything that is con- 
sidered "good," that such would be evil, is too 
absurd for consideration. But here again we 
aim to please ourselves, in order to avoid living 
after the Truth, because the Truth would say "it 
is evil to do evil every day in the week." It is 
with rest and sleep like many other things in the 
world of Progress, for, as man becomes more 
Spiritual in the Highest Sense of Thought, he can 
do with less sleep, since, sleep is characteristic of 
the animal or brute nature. In other words, the 
physical and its work, require more sleep than the 
Mental and its work. The Spiritual or Mental 
characteristic is illustrated in the remark made by 
Jesus to the disciples, — "What: will ye not watch 
with me one hour?" If they had been as Spiritual 
as Jesus, they too, would have been awake with 
him. One believing more in nature will require 
more sleep because he believes and gives up more 
to nature. 

There is a vast difference in the word "rest" 
as contained in Genesis, and the "rest" of the New 
Testament, as to how it is used. In Matthew 11: 
28, 29 and 30, it reads, — "Come unto me, all ye 
that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give 
you rest. "Take my yoke upon you: and learn of 
me : for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall 
find rest unto your souls. " For my yoke IS EASY 



208 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

and my burden is light." The "yoke" here illus- 
trates how much lighter a burden is to a person 
understanding the way to overcome all things of 
the world. In Genesis 22, — we are taught to 
"believe" God worked six, and then rested on the 
seventh day, but it follows in the same chapter 
2-5, that "God made every plant before it grew," 
— showing that the writer knew nothing of what 
he was writing, or, that he was always "at sea" — 
tossed about by this or that belief, which illus- 
trates ignorance as will be observed by the two 
very different and contrary ideas, tho one may 
"believe" this latter refers to "plant" life and the 
like, which, if it did, is contrary to a required 
length of time for growth. 

There remains no doubt in my mind but what 
man requires a certain amount of rest from labor, — 
this is natural because we are more or less natural 
by the more or less physical work we do. But, this 
is not necessarily so with the Mental, nor with 
Thought, since, we know these are in a working 
state in one form of working during the physical 
relaxation or sleep. But the "rest" from labor is 
not the rest to which Jesus refers, and that the 
"SOULS" — your Senses will be at "rest" if you 
will look more to the Idea of life he taught. 

So then, we find that only in a few instances 
did Jesus refer to the Sabbath, and then, not that 
it should be observed as a day of "rest," because 
it was not to be considered as having any great 
bearing on what he wished to impress in regard to 
Truth. But he mentioned it enough to illustrate 
that it is RIGHT TO DO RIGHT, and WRONG 
TO DO WRONG, SEVEN DAYS IN A WEEK, or, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 209 

regardless of time and days. The Pharisees then, 
and those who beheve now the same, could and 
cannot submit to a Good — God act if it were and 
is done on a Sunday — Sabbath. Then too, we 
have a religious ''belief" based on a Saturday as a 
Sabbath, and, of course, like everything else in 
Religion it is overlooked with the idea that if we 
observe "one day out of a week," we are excusable. 
Many times thruout the teaching of Jesus, we 
find utter contempt by the Pharisees for him, 
because he did an act of Good — God on Sunday, 
or illustrated the fact that an evil is an evil any 
time, and Good is Good at any time, because "God 
is the same yesterday, to-day and forever," just 
as Satan is the same, yesterday, to-day, and for- 
ever, in that the Principle is always the same. 
But it was not their OPINION of Good, just as 
the opinion of God is held by others to-day, and 
so, did not permit them and us of doing Evil, that 
it pierced their heart as Truth always hurts. Jesus 
said "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man 
for the Sabbath," which is significant that man is 
not subject — controlled by the day — Sabbath, but 
has control of the day, or that the Sabbath shall 
be used to his own discretion and will, even if it 
be to do an act of Good, or an act of Evil. It is 
not so much the day, but rather to "serve the Lord 
day and night" — do that which is called good, 
seven days, or continually, as "day and night" 
signifies. You claim it is wrong to steal, therefore, 
it being wrong, one is just as Hable ONE DAY 
AS ANOTHER. If you claim it is right to play 
ball (playing ball, and the like, have nothing to do 
with Good and Evil, since they have nothing to do 



210 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

with the character of man, but use the phrase here 
as a "substitute" for Good because it is "custom- 
ary" to refer to such as being at one time good, 
and at another time evil), or to attend a Theatre, 
or to open a store and do business, it could not 
come under the heading of that which is wrong, by 
that very assertion. Jesus said precisely the same 
meaning when he said, — "Then said Jesus unto 
them, I will ask you ONE THING: Is it lawful on 
the Sabbath days TO DO GOOD OR TO DO 
EVIL?" What need we of any better argument? 
Could you ask for a better explanation than this? 
So then, we are more apt to make laws to suit 
ourselves, rather than that which pertains to how 
we shall reach the state of Spirituality, which is 
nothing but a state of Higher Mentality. We each 
seem to have a law of our own in regard to what is 
right and wrong. One says, — I do not believe in 
card playing, but dancing is all right and good. 
Another says, — Card playing is proper and good, 
but dancing is an evil. Who is right? As said be- 
fore, in regard to what is right and wrong, both 
cannot be right nor wrong. It is then, the Good 
and Evil Thought you may entertain against or 
for the ones whom you associate with at either, 
which work for Good or for Evil to those with whom 
you come in contact, and this may chance to be 
on one day or another. You need not be at a card 
party, nor at a dance, in order to have these feelings. 
What a pretty state of affairs it would be if the 
card players were in the majority, and made the 
law to that effect. It would be a crime and the 
same unrest of the Senses — Souls, to think that 
the dancers would have to play cards against their 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 211 

will or not amuse themselves at all if card playing 
became a law as to the only amusement. Now, 
there are just as foolish and absurd laws as these 
that are made to-day, and even enforced. You 
and I have talked with the "Narrow minded" 
w^ho have said what they would do if they had the 
power. Why condemn ball playing, and the like, 
and those who attend it in Sunday, if it is right at 
other times? No wonder Jesus said, — "O genera- 
tion of vipers: how can ye, being evil speak good 
things? for out of the abundance of the heart the 
mouth speaketh." Here we find that it is not the 
business that a man is in, not the amusement he 
wishes to attend, that are contrary to that which 
is good, and therefore an evil and a wrong, nor 
does it concern the day in which they are practised. 
It is the Evil Thoughts w^hich are contrary to the 
Law of God — Good Thought and you may have 
these, and are just as subject to them, whether it 
be in your own home, or at the ball game (more 
liable at the former place, because evil suggestions 
are not at the latter, neither could they act there), 
and at all times or days alike. I am thankful to 
have Sunday, or even one day in a week as a day 
of leisure, and a day free from all business cares, — 
but, and if I wish to attend a ball game, a Theatre. 
or TAKE A BATH, I should be allowed that 
liberty. It is mine — this liberty, so long as I cause 
no trouble in the w^ay of intruding on another's 
property. This is the only wrong that can be 
answered for by one man to another, or where 
a law should be made to answer for, and therefore 
concerns man, but is no relation to the Good and 
Evil Jesus aimed to teach, because they do not 



212 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

concern the character of man. Nature alone deals 
with the physical works, and if we are overworked, 
we are working against nature. Any kind of 
labor should not be overtaxed, yet, the very 
persons who generally stand at the head of law and 
make these laws, are they, who generally overtax 
their help on Sunday as well as other days. If 
you would preach to them as it says in the Old 
Testament, "that man should earn his bread by 
the sweat of his brow," they care not to listen to 
such a *'law," since, they care more to earn their 
bread by the sweat of other's "brow." Should I 
then, be condemned and fined if I fail to satisfy 
a law that is ONE MAN MADE, or is suggested 
by one, and then voted on by a privileged few? 
One man said "We have got to make laws and 
look out for these people" — referring to those HE 
CALLED ignorant and sinful. He is a man in 
business, and one I know is not at all times honest 
in his business methods, yet, he would be willing 
to look after the "other fellow." It seems absurd 
to attempt to Christianize a people by taking away 
what seems right to them, so long as they do no 
injury to you, while you use your rights that are 
wrong to them. It is only because one or the 
other is in the majority that they use their RIGHTS 
WRONG. 

"But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, 
that this it must be." That is, no form of life can 
exist than what is characteristic with the times in 
which it exists, and all mortality which is a form of 
selfishness in different forms of life must be "FUL- 
FILLED" — ENDED, before immortality can be 
reached. This has been and is "the law and the 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 213 

prophets." Prophecy is made under the condi- 
tions which exist, since, Man, or a prophet can 
look back and see the advanced change made from 
one generation to another, and by so doing he is 
able to prophesy greater things for the future. 
These "Christians" under the different names in 
ReHgion you will note are not proving their worth 
in the name of God, but are causing many deaths, 
for, it says, "They that kill and do these things 
THINK they do God service." So then, it is not 
Religion, but Science that is changing us from worse 
to better, yet Religion has had and will have its 
part in that no great Truths have been reached 
without many views being defined. 

The different views in Religion are but the result 
of thought development derived from many 
thoughts, the person holding this view having as- 
sociated himself with the different environments. 
If I have criticized any Religion, it is not that I 
am criticizing that person or judging that person 
who holds that religious view, because, that person 
is only subject to what he thinks is religious, and 
should not be condemned for what he believes, 
since, you may have believed the same, and would 
have believed the same, if your environments and 
associates had been the same. "I judge no man," 
illustrates the fact that no man should be held up 
to ridicule for that which he believes and is there- 
fore subject to, or, as Jesus said "if a man hear my 
words and do them not, I condemn him not." 
We are changing, not because of ourselves, but 
because the law of growth in Progress demands a 
change. If I have changed, and here express my 
view as different and seeming by some to be radi- 



214 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

cal and "advanced," it is not because of my own 
individual view, but because I have associated 
myself with the different views and out of these 
has the thought formed my opinion in that all 
thought is formed by different Phenomena. The 
Jews in the time of Jesus were not so blind, and 
desired to "believe" in Jesus as the teacher of 
Truth, but were more or less guided by the fear 
they held of the other nations if they upheld the 
teaching. The same religious teaching then and 
now caused the Jews to say, — -"If we believe in 
this fellow, the Romans will come and take our 
kingdom from us." The "CHIEF PRIESTS" 
said "CRUCIFY HIM." Evidently, the same 
feeling exists to-day in Russia by the killing of 
the Jews by "CHRISTIANS." We will have to 
confess some day that no other nationality is 
so liberal in their help towards mankind — their 
own especially, which is no more than natural — 
than the Jews. This is the commandment "to 
love your neighbor as yourself." Tho they are not 
called and considered a Christian people IN NAME, 
yet, they are more Christian in act, and that ful- 
fills the commandment. How beautifully Shake- 
speare gives an account of them being even better 
than a Christian by the following words which he 
puts in the mouth of Shylock: 

" I am a Jew: Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a 
Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses (Souls) 
affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt 
with the same weapons, subject to the same dis- 
eases, healed by the same means, warmed and 
cooled by the same winter and summer as a Chris- 
tian? If you prick us do we not bleed? if you tickle 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 215 

us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not 
die? If we are like you in the rest, we will resem- 
ble you in that, — If a Jew wrong a Christian, what 
is his humility? revenge. If a Christian wrong a 
Jew, what should his sufferance be by a Christian's 
example? Why revenge — The villainy you teach 
me I will execute, and it shall go hard, but I will 
better the instruction." Note this last remark, — 
"I will better the instruction," or ''villainy you 
teach me," tho "it shall go hard," or "work against 
the grain" of, or with the Jew to respect the Chris- 
tian when he is chastised by the Christian — quite 
a sacrifice for the Jews to make, or, for any na- 
tionality when one is opposed to the other. I 
remember of a friend saying to a Rabbi, — "Your 
people seem all right in a way, but they are so 
dishonest," at which the Rabbi replied, — "Show 
me a person who is honest in any nation, and I 
will kiss him." This last expression — "kiss him" — 
smacks of more love than could be expressed in 
the Gentile for the Jew. 

We are beginning to realize the fact that the 
word Christian, and the laws — especially Sunday 
laws are hardly in question as to the laws which 
treat of Spiritual growth, but really have a ten- 
dency to dwarf the same. Laws are continually 
being made to cover every atom of an existence 
so that man will in time if they are not checked, 
be bound so that he can no more connect himself 
with liberty, than he can connect himself with 
Christianity. Many laws are made for the purpose 
of gaining an office for the laws made, and not that 
there lies in the heart of the man who suggests 
that or this — that he is working for the benefit of 



216 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

man. "He has an ax to grind." I have just read 
that in Kansas there is a law to "tax bachelors," 
but it is the by-word that in Kansas "they do 
queer things," so we will not consider that such a 
law will become universal. There are plenty of 
men who would be glad to marry if they could 
support a woman as she wants to be supported, 
and as he would like to support her, which is im- 
possible in most cases under the present conditions, 
and which conditions are generally made by that 
class of persons who propose such laws, since, it 
is not so much against the fact that he is a bachelor, 
but because they are working for the "easy money" 
end of it. It is just as illegitimate to gain money 
for yourself and state by such laws as it is for a 
corporation to fleece money out of its employees. 
The man is not always at fault in regard to whether 
he should get married, since it requires TWO PER- 
SONS in anything to make a bargain. Woman 
is just as much to blame for the unmarriageable 
condition as man, and even more so in the present 
generation, because she is becoming more inde- 
pendent of man. There are many of both sexes 
who should not marry, even if they should wish 
to, or are FORCED to it by such laws in case they 
do not care to pay a fine, for the reason that they 
are unfit for propagation, and ought not to marry, 
and would you force such to pay a fine? There 
has much been said about the "venereal disease" 
of man as the cause of many unhealthy children, 
of which no one can deny, but I argue that there 
are as many "weaklings" in the world to-day as 
a result thru the "abuse" of nature. This being 
the case, it is not necessarily the man being at 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 217 

fault always in diseased children, because women 
are more given up to this than men, from the very 
fact that man is allowed thru ''custom" to in- 
dulge in nature, and at the same time retain his 
"manhood," while woman — poor creature — will 
lose her "womanhood" if she satisfies her pas- 
sion before getting married. Many generations 
of families are dying out, and should be let to die 
out before they put upon the market as we see 
it to-day — goods unmarketable, and so should 
not be let to run their full course. This tax, for 
selfish gain, and it is for nothing else, reminds me of 
the "city clerk" who some years ago said it was 
right to raise the dog tax from one to a dollar and 
a half. He invented a metal tag costing about 
five dollars a hundred. For each one, and writing 
out the dog license he received the additional half 
dollar over and above his salary. A nice income 
for himself and the clerks to follow, and well 
worth the time to make such a law that the poor 
"always have with them." This is just one in- 
stance of the laws that are made for the benefit 
of those who make them. Every person should be 
allowed to live according to the dictations of 
THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE, when it concerns 
their PRIVATE affairs as in marriage and Religion, 
and therefore not be compelled to pay "a fine" 
to the state and religion, for that which does not 
concern the state and religion. When a man tells 
me whether I shall marry or not, he certainly, 
ABOVE ALL THINGS, is trying to manage my 
PRIVATE AFFAIRS, for, that REALLY con- 
cerns me, and most of all MY CONSCIENCE, 
which latter I MUST and shall be controlled by. 



218 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

else, there would be no "rest for my soul" — Sense. 
We all dislike anarchy, but we are really breed- 
ing anarchists, therefore, we should lessen in our- 
selves that which produces them. We ought not 
to complain of a thing we breed, but rather stop 
the process of breeding. You may have a kind 
dog, but if you continually kick him, do not object 
if the poor ignorant animal turns upon and bites 
you. This is his only method of defense, just as 
it is with the ignorant and poor worker who is 
being kicked about and "lawed" against more than 
his keeper. Rather give the dog and him credit 
for having more sense of feeling than yourself, 
since, you, being "wise," caused the anger which 
produced the bite. You must abolish laws that 
are anarchistic, if you wish to abolish anarchy, 
or abolish the cause of anarchy, if you wish to 
destroy anarchists. Education is the only step 
by which the ignorant are made wise. The igno- 
rant have generally been held in ignorance by 
those who are educated and know better. Of 
course it requires time and patience to put up with 
the law of growth as to all men being on an equal 
footing, or as to the "brotherhood of man," or, 
to "love your neighbor as yourself." Not until 
all have reached the education of Mentality 
being superior to the Physical as how to overcome 
hard work will there be much improvement for 
all mankind, since, if the horse had any sense, he 
would not pull the load. This law agaist bachelors 
in making them pay a fine, is not according to the 
teaching of Jesus and Paul, and therefore, not 
Christian in its true definition. The law of nature 
is even against the law of God, because Thought 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 219 

in the Form of God is "against the flesh," and 
"the flesh is against the Spirit." Jesus made this 
"Revelation" which seems so compHcated in the 
verse of St. John. You claim to teach "Christ" 
as YOUR doctrine, yet, you make laws against 
this Revelation and Knowledge which is to be 
Resurrected — Acknowledged. Paul said "I would 
have ALL MEN even as myself," which signifies 
"the bachelor." Why did Paul and Jesus preach 
"celibacy," if it were not as Paul says for "all 
men," instead of as we see it to-day being lived by 
"a few?" How are you going to get around THIS 
LAW, laid down By Jesus, and enforce your law of 
marriage? This is the True Revelation of the 
Truth, and when it is known, we will not say in 
the words of Pilate — "What is Truth? 

There have been and are many bachelors who 
have been and are more of a help towards uplifting 
the race than the married man. Not only Jesus and 
Paul from a religious standpoint, but, Herbert 
Spencer, Henry Thoreau, Michelangelo, Sir Isaac 
Newton, George Peabody, Emmanuel Kant and 
others I cannot just now recall have furnished us 
with wonderful Truths in their respective lines. 
Paul said, — "He that is unmarried careth for 
the things that belong to the Lord, how he may 
please the Lord: But he that is married careth 
for the things that are of the world, how he 
may please HIS wife. "There is a difference 
ALSO between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried 
woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she 
may be holy both in body and in spirit, — but she 
that is married careth for the things of the world, 
how she may please her husband." The idea that 



220 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Paul conveyed is not necessarily to the effect that 
the married man and the married woman are not 
capable to some extent to teach, but it illustrates 
how much more time one has in which to teach 
and work at any certain thing, because the persons 
who devote all of their time to a certain vocation, 
are better adapted for the same, than those who 
work at that or this. It, too, illustrates the fact 
that the single person can PROVE things where a 
married person is not in a position to prove, and 
so, has "authority" for what she or he claims. 

Jesus spoke of woman making her choice in life 
when he said to Martha, — "But one thing is 
needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, 
which shall not be taken away from her." These 
words here illustrate the single life, or, that Mary 
was better qualified to "serve the Lord" — the 
Truth as Jesus was teaching, and Martha, that of 
the house, tho neither were married, but it is 
evident here that Martha was more in favor of 
serving the man, or better qualified for the home, as 
it says, — "But Martha was cumbered about much 
serving, and came to him and said. Lord, dost 
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve 
alone," — then, Jesus made the aforesaid remark. 

In speaking of Religion, Herbert Spencer writes, 
— "For its essentially valid belief. Religion has 
constantly done better. Gross as were the dis- 
guises under which it first espoused this belief, and 
cherished this belief, though it still is, under dis- 
figuring vestments, it has never ceased to maintain 
and defend it. It has everywhere established and 
propagated one or other modifications of a Power 
that transcends our knowledge. Though from age 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 221 

to age Science has continually defeated it wherever 
they have come in collision, and has obliged it to 
relinquish one or more of its postions, — it has still 
held the remaining ones with undiminished tenacity. 
No exposure of the logical inconsistency of its 
conclusions — no proof that each of its particular 
dogmas was absurd, has been able to weaken its 
allegiance to that ultimate verity for which it 
stands. After criticism has abolished all its ar- 
guments and reduced it to silence, there has still 
remained with it the indestructible consciousness 
of a Truth which however faulty the mode in 
which it has been expressed, was yet a truth be- 
yond cavil. To this connection its adherence has 
been substantially sincere. And for the guardian- 
ship and diffusion of it. Humanity has ever been, 
and must ever be its debtor. 

"But while from the beginning, Religion has had 
the all-essential office of preventing man from being 
wholly absolved in the relative or immediate, and 
of awakening them to a consciousness of something 
beyond it, this office has been very imperfectly 
discharged. Religion has ever been more or less 
irreligious, — and it continues to be partially ir- 
religious even now. In the first place, as implied 
above, it has all along professed to have some 
knowledge of that which transcends knowledge, — 
and has so contradicted its teachings. While with 
one breath it has asserted that the Cause of all 
things passes understanding, it has, with the next 
breath, asserted that the Cause of all things pos- 
sesses such or such attributes — can be in so far un- 
derstood. In the second place, while in great part 
sincere in its fealty to the great truth it has had to 



222 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

uphold, it has often been insincere, and conse- 
quently irreligious, in maintaining the untenable 
doctrines by which it has obscured this great 
truth. Each assertion respecting the nature, 
acts, or motives of that Power which the universe 
manifests to us, has been repeatedly called in 
question, and proved to be inconsistent with itself, 
or with accompanying assertions. Yet each of 
them has been age after age insisted on, in spite 
of a secret consciousness that it would not bear 
examination. Just as though unaware that its 
central position was impregnable, Religion has 
obstinately held every outpost long after it was 
obviously indefensible. And this naturally in- 
troduces us to the third and most serious form of 
irreligion which Religion has displayed: namely, 
an imperfect belief in that which it professes to 
believe. How truly its central position is impreg- 
nable. Religion has never adequately realized. 
In the devoutest faith as we habitually see it, 
there lies hidden an innermost core of scepticism, — 
which causes that dread of inquiry displayed by 
Religion when face to face with Science. Obliged 
to abandon one by one the superstitions it once 
tenaciously held, and daily finding its cherished 
beliefs more and more shaken. Religion shows a 
secret fear that all things may some day be ex- 
plained, — and thus itself betrays a lurking doubt 
whether that Incomprehensible Cause of which 
it is conscious, is really incomprehensible. 

"Of religion then, we must all remember, that 
amid its many errors and corruptions it has as- 
serted and diffused a supreme verity. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 223 

"The truly religious element of Religion has 
always been good, — that which has proved un- 
tenable in doctrine and vicious in practise, has 
been its irreligious element, — and from this it has 
ever been undergoing purification. 

"And now observe that all along, the agent 
which has effected the purification has been Science. 
We habitually overlook the fact that this has been 
one of its functions. Religion ignores its immense 
debt to Science, — and Science is scarcely at all 
conscious how much Religion owes it. Yet it is 
demonstrable that every step by which Religion 
has progressed from its first low conception to the 
comparatively high one it has now reached, 
Science has helped it, or rather forced it, to take; 
and that even now. Science is urging further steps 
in the same direction. 

"Using the word Science in its true sense, as 
comprehending all positive and definite knowledge 
of the order existing among surrounding phenom- 
ena, it becomes manifest that from the outset, 
the discovery of an established order has modified 
that conception of disorder, or undermined order, 
which underlies every superstition. As fast as 
experience proves that certain familiar changes 
always happen in the same sequence, there begins 
to fade from the mind the conception of a special 
personality to whose variable will they were before 
ascribed. And when, step by step, accumulating 
observations do the like with the less familiar 
changes, similar modification of belief takes place 
with respect to them. 

"While this process seems to those who effect, 
and those who undergo it, an anti-religious one, 



224 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

it is really the reverse. Instead of the specific 
comprehensible agency before assigned, there is 
substituted a less specific and less comprehensible 
agency, — and though this, standing in opposition 
to the previous one, cannot at first call forth 
the same feeling, yet, as being less comprehensible, 
it must eventually call forth this feeling more fully. 
Take an instance. Of old the Sun was regarded as 
the chariot of a god, drawn by horses. How far 
the idea thus grossly expressed, was idealized, we 
need not inquire. It suffices to remark that this 
accounting for the apparent motion of the Sun by 
an agency like certain visible terrestrial agencies, 
reduced a daily wonder to the level of the common- 
est intellect. When, many centuries after, Kepler 
discovered that the planets moved round the Sun 
ellipses and described equal areas in equal times, 
he concluded that in each planet there must exist 
a spirit to guide its movements. Here we see that 
with the progress of Science, there had disappeared 
the idea of a gross mechanical traction, such as was 
first assigned to the Sun; but that while for this 
there was substituted an indefinite and less easily 
conceivable force, it was still thought needful to 
assume a special personal agent as a cause of the 
regular irregularity of motion. When, finally, it 
was proved that these planetary revolutions with 
all their variations and disturbances, conformed to 
one universal law — when the presiding spirits which 
Kepler conceived were set aside, and the force of 
gravitation put in their place, — the change was 
really the abolition of an imaginable agency, and 
the substitution of an unimaginable one. Newton 
himself confessed the force of gravitation to be in- 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 225 

comprehensible without the intermediation of an 
ether; and, as we have already seen, the assumption 
of an ether does not in the least help us. Thus it is 
with Science in general. Its progress in grouping 
particular relations of phenomena under laws, 
and these special laws more and more general, is 
of necessity a progress to causes that are more and 
more abstract. And causes more and more ab- 
stract, are of necessity causes less and less con- 
ceivable, since the formation of an abstract con- 
ception involves the dropping of certain concrete 
elements of thought. And so is justified the asser- 
tion, that the beliefs which Science has forced upon 
Religion, have been intrinsically more religious 
than those which they supplanted." 

In this — the day of understanding, or "the day 
of judgment," we are beginning to realize the 
Truth which Science has forced Religion to 
adopt, because we are proving that experience and 
observation alone transcends all knowledge, and, 
even tho the knowledge gained from past experi- 
ence is different in our knowledge, it is only be- 
cause "the more and more abstract" have been 
"causes less and less conceivable." To Religion, 
"Humanity has ever been, and ever must be its 
debtor," — not because it is the formula of an exact 
truth, but because it is the one thing to which 
man holds religious, — in that he is subject to a 
greater Power which he has not been able to con- 
ceive as a state of Mentality, and conceivable only 
as a Power greater than that which lies in the 
Physical. And, so too, because thru fear he has 
been led to believe he should remain in ignorance 
as to what the "Unknown Cause" is like. But 



226 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

after becoming wise to the fact that ignorance 
cannot be the builder of an exact Science, he, thru 
past experiences has developed to a state of Knowl- 
edge wherein lies the fact that all phenomena is 
the resultant by growth not only in the Physical, 
but in the Psychological, since. Evolution of any 
phenomena is the Physical and Psychological of 
that phenomena. Spencer says "we know nothing 
more of existence than a continued manifestation," 
which is enough to know, because our experience 
and observation tell us only things can exist by 
what they are in the phenomena, and, ''HE THAT 
HATH SEEN ME, HATH SEEN THE FATHER 
ALSO." That is, the Physical is the phenomena of 
the Psychological — both concrete in form, but 
abstract in their meaning. Religion has "professed 
to have some knowledge of that which transcends 
knowledge," because it has ever taught there is a 
beyond to which you and I are an existence, when 
we only exist by what exists to-day, since, Thought 
and Physical cannot exist but by what exists in 
the phenomena. 

We have now reached that generation of which 
Spencer speaks, — "Religion shows a secret fear 
that all things may some day be explained — and 
thus itself betrays a lurking doubt whether that 
Incomprehensible of which it is conscious, is 
really incomprehensible." We shall not continue 
to say "this man's life was mapped out for him," 
or "things are so and so predestined," when we 
should know that all life existence is by growth 
in both the Physical and Psychological. This 
generation has brought about a new and somewhat 
different Religion, because this is the age of a 
greater and more universal Mentality. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 227 

This new form of Religion termed "Christian 
Science" has advanced rapidly because it is more 
in tune with the Mental, than with the Physical, 
and, therefore characteristic with the Evolution 
of Thought in the form of ''Good" to be manifested 
as life than the organic. But because it also teaches 
this life as "continued" by this or that person, or 
in the term of "another life" distinct or separate 
from this, it too, lessens in itself to build a Spiritual 
life in "this world" — this world, because "the 
other world" as a Spiritual manifestation cannot 
exist HERE, until THIS WORLD— the Natural 
existence shall have finished its course — "nature 
works to her own end." Do not here be drawn 
away from conclusions reached by the explanation 
of the Thought and Physical as one, because it 
here alludes to the present Mental and Physical 
body. The explanation of a definition can hardly 
be explained in words, for, it is easy to form opinion 
by one explanation only to be contradicted by the 
same form of explanation, or, to repeat Spencer: 
"We can only speak of matter in terms of Mind, 
and we can only speak of Mind in terms of Matter." 
In other words: while the Mental and Physical 
are at present working as by a law, exist as a 
phenomena, yet, the phenomena of the Mental 
alone will exist as a phenomena when there shall 
be no use for the Physical as at present it is a 
phenomena with the Mental; just as a slight il- 
lustration, we have no use at present for wire in 
transmission of thought and the like; while hereto- 
fore it was impossible to send a message without the 
use of wire. 



228, MENTAL EVOLUTION 

There is no doubt but that in her earlier stage 
of "searching the scriptures," that Mrs. Eddy 
was then led a great deal toward the Truth, as all 
are led toward this or that in proportion to their" 
"seeking" anything, especially if it be from an im- 
personal view. But, like all persons building for 
"POMP," and even unconscious of its growth 
until it reaches such proportions where it cannot be 
checked, it hinders the builder from progressing, 
in that Evolution does not necessarily depend 
on the individual, so she, like all others at the 
"head" of a given thing, will release its hold on 
the Progress of Thought. It is because we have 
looked up to what the other fellow said that we are 
sometimes made his inferior. We can hardly ex- 
pect to follow in the paths others have gone, tho 
they may be nearer the Truth in some things than 
we have experienced. My twelve years' study and 
work with the works, and "class instruction," of 
Mrs. Eddy, did not bring about the results that 
should follow such sincere desire to believe in all 
she said, and now I realize why, since, I know 
by experience that Knowledge is reached by ex- 
perience which is a growth thru Thought of the 
same. We must get away from the idea of any 
"leader" of Truth, because Truth has no leader, 
but is a leader in itself. We can hardly call any 
person a " revelator" of Truth, but we can prophesy 
Truth from our experience and observation, and 
therefore experience and observe some of the Truth, 
but not ALL — the fulness of Truth, since, "THE 
END IS NOT YET." If there were such a thing 
as Infallibility to-day, there need be no effort to 
advance, for, we could not advance if we were 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 229 

Infallible. It would be absurd for you to believe as 
I do, if it worked against your conscience, even if 
I speak the Truth. To your conscience a lie may 
be the truth, and is the truth to you. I remember 
I could not convince by telling a friend that a cer- 
tain street lay so and so in a certain part of town, and 
he was wroth with me for contradicting him, but 
I took him to where it was and proved it did not 
lay as he believed it did. His idea was the Truth 
to him, and would have remained so, if he had not 
been taken there and proved otherwise, and for me 
to argue against his opinion before this, was in 
error, because he was satisfied in his own conscience, 
and concerning this kind of an argument was re- 
ferred to by Jesus when he said, "agree with thine 
adversary whiles thou are in the way with him." 

The people as a Religious body are forever wor- 
shipping Jesus, as some worship Mrs. Eddy, and 
so for this reason they cannot bear any fruit, be- 
cause they worship the thing, instead of that thing 
left as an example, since, he nor she are anything 
to be worshipped, because Truth is not the work 
of indivduals. Science teaches us that we must 
experience and do likewise, and not worship things, 
or that we cannot worship God, but must experi- 
ence Thought as God is Thought, and will be 
Thought, whether the mortal thinks so or not, and 
this IS KNOWLEDGE, because it is experienced 
Thought, and therefore "THE RESURREC- 
TION," from a Lower to a Higher — Heaven — 
conception of Life. 

We observe Easter and Christmas, and make 
holidays for this and that birthday, and "Decora- 
tion" day, when they are no more to observe than 



230 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

yours and mine. It fails to build us like the EX- 
AMPLE when we simply worship such persons and 
observe the days; besides, you and I are fighting 
the battles for an existence, and tho it is not with 
"bullets," it is as hard a fought battle as in war. 
It is a war in one sense of the word, and really a 
more upright battle than fought as we sometimes 
fight — for the good of a few, and the reward can 
only be an existence for us, as it is for them, and 
we are heroes as they are heroes. No wonder 
Christmas, birthdays and the like have grown 
to be a matter of business only. All forms of 
"custom" fall into the rank and file of business, 
showing as it does, not any real regret for the 
past, and those gone before, but a pleasure 
mostly to those of the present — a case of 
selfishness only in its significance. If, instead 
of building monuments to this and that 
person, we would build our own characters equal 
to that person or cause, — then would we build 
monuments that are not only good to look upon 
and to be remembered, but that are everlasting 
("My words shall live"), for, nothing can destroy 
True character and Truth, while the monuments 
built of stone, well, — "there shall not be left here 
one stone upon another." So, Religion is really 
hindering persons, as a rule, to live and seek the 
Truth, because it only OBSERVES and WOR- 
SHIPS the life that should be lived, since many of 
the leaders of many Religions fall under the bann 
of sin, and that is why we find fault with Religion 
generally. The most complete memory and monu- 
ment you should have and build for Lincoln, is 
to live the life and principle he taught and lived, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 231 

and not to think that by observing his birthday 
and building monuments, and talking about the 
good HE DID, will build up the same for you. 
We say, "for Jesus' sake amen," when we ought to 
do it for our sake. Many grand and beautiful 
architectural structures in the way of Churches and 
monuments have been and are builded by money 
illegally as well as legally gained, and worshipped 
because the ignorant seem to think a structure 
could not stand unless it was built "in the name of 
God." While we can use and do need a building 
where we can lecture and discourse on religious 
subjects pertaining to Christianity or the Truth, 
it need not be construed into a fact that such must 
be a KIND of Temple or Building. There is not 
a KIND of Truth. Refer back to what Paul said, 
that "YE ALL SPEAK THE SAME THING, 
THAT YE BE PERFECTLY JOINED TO- 
GETHER IN THE SAME MIND, AND IN 
THE SAME JUDGMENT." You make it a 
KIND of Truth, or a Creed or a Sect, when you 
erect a building for this or that, which is very 
nicely illustrated in Matthew 24: 2. It says, — 
"And Jesus went out and departed from the tem- 
ple; and his disciples came to him for to shew 
him the building of the temple. "And Jesus said 
unto them. See ye all of these things? Verily, 
I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone 
upon another, that shall not be thrown down." 
These stones representing false doctrines or many 
creeds are not laid upon the foundation of Truth, 
so the buildings of such doctrines or stones shall 
be rent from their places when the real Knowledge 
of "What is Truth?" shall be known. 



232 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

We will now take up the subject of the birth of 
Jesus, because there has been so much said in 
regard to it^so much misconception, which has 
formed the idea of his being the "immaculate con- 
ception," or as Mrs. Eddy says that he was "born 
of God and Mary." This, too, has given chance to 
form different religious views, and build monu- 
ments to the dead — doctrine of these views. Com- 
ing into the sense and reasonableness of all Crea- 
tion, which is but the form of development of things 
to their fulness, and not that thev "WERE 
CREATED BEFORE THEY GREW," we can- 
not or should not conceive the idea of any miracu- 
lous thing being formed out of the ordinary law of 
things. If you believed in that Jesus produced 
"fish" and "bread" by which he "filled the hun- 
gry," then you too, believe in "fish stories," or that 
things can be formed out of the ordinary law of 
Time required to develop and manufacture them. 
However, I cannot believe the passage referred 
to should be taken in such a light as feeding with 
material food, and, if so, the people must have been 
"Wrapped up" in the teaching, to that extent 
they required but little material food. Anyway, 
we could not accept any such "doctrine" in this 
Scientific age unless we still have that same super- 
stition that has been responsible for such doctrines. 
It being so many years since any record had been 
made of the life work of Jesus, it is possible that 
these remarks are the result of what the disciples 
seemed to hear and see, or they, like the remark 
concerning the fatherhood of Jesus, appeared to 
them "in a dream." To quote from Emerson here, 
is to give a hint as to how truly things are not what 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 233 

they always seem to the naked eye and ear in a 
certain state of consciousness, and he here gives 
my idea of how things are made use of in deceiv- 
ing the mortal sense. 

He says, "Nature may be as selfishly studied as 
trade. Astronomy to the selfish becomes Astrol- 
ogy; psychology, mesmerism (with intent to 
show where our spoons have gone); and anatomy 
and physiology become phrenology and palmistry." 
This "intent to show where our spoons have gone" 
is significant of what we are trying thru psycho- 
logy — mesmerism or spiritualism and the like 
beliefs to show where we are going, or that, we have 
been there and came back, since we are under such 
use of the term mesmerised to such a belief, and as 
well as the idea that "disease is only a belief." 
Astrologers would tell us that we are governed 
by this or that sta.r — making some a fool, and others 
wise, and therefore no chance to rise up from under 
or above certain conditions we have been in; but 
I rather agree with Shakespeare when he said, 
"the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in 
ourselves that we are underlings." But, of course, 
we are led to "believe" the "stars" have such 
to deal with us, so then we are subject to this belief, 
since we are subject to our thought which "in 
ourselves" IS ourselves also, and making us gov- 
erned by "our stars" because of such a belief, but 
not because of any fault of the stars. The SEEM- 
ING miracles performed by Jesus were only to 
illustrate that Thought is Power in the Science of 
which it can be used, and if we look to them only 
according to the theory as miracles, or interpret 
the remarks made in the Bible as miraculous, we 



234 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

can only see them as being caused by vsome Being. 
They should be looked upon as a case of mesmerism 
— an influence of the Power of Thought over the 
Mortal sense of sight, but as psychology, we view 
them from a Spiritual Sense working in a form of 
growth in Thought and Power over the Thought 
and Power of the Natural Sense. We are then 
drawn away from it as mesmerism because it is 
not to satisfy self, nor executed to create wonder- 
ment, as all growth of the psychological in chang- 
ing things is the result of Time required in which 
to make this change which cannot be made on the 
instant, any more than the physical growth can be 
made at a moment's notice as assigned to "the 
loaves and fishes." The first miracle performed 
by Jesus could not have been done as a direct part, 
or caused by the Will of Thought as applied to God, 
or in the Sense of Good, and illustrates the idea of 
how one works even at the expense of a falsehood to 
uplift mankind. The miracle referred to is "the 
water changed to wine," which was not changed, 
but the Mental state of those present was changed, 
and for a purpose. It is barely conceivable that 
the law of Good — Thought in the name of God 
which is supposed to destroy the law of appetite 
and passion, and all things contrary to promote 
happiness, should HERE BE IN the VERY ACT 
of producing the effect of that which it aims to 
destroy. This passage simply illustrates how 
easily man under the bond of sin and ignorance 
and superstitious persons are so much more sub- 
ject to deception than one having viewed things 
from a Scientific point of view. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 235 

We cannot but admire some of the ancient char- 
acters, especially those who professed to be "MA- 
GICIANS." The work of these men was studied 
to some advantage even by their opponents, and 
perhaps one of the greatest of these was Virgil, of 
whom I quote the following, — 

"Virgil, the Magician, is the character in which 
the great Roman Poet presented himself to the 
popular imagination of the middle ages. The origin 
of this singular delusion may be thus explained. 
From a very early period — almost, we may say, 
from the age in which he flourished — Virgil was 
acknowledged to be the prince of Latin Poets. 

"His poems threw all others in the shade, and 
this, not so much because they exhibited a finer 
and more original genius, as because their style was 
perfect, the subject of his magnum opus thorough- 
ly national, and his immense historical and anti- 
quarian lore devoted to the glorification of the 
Roman people. From him the grammarians se- 
lected the examples of their rules, and even com- 
posed treatises on special questions suggested by 
his poems. The rhetoricians, too, found their 
material for their themes and declamations, and 
the later poets imitated his phraseology. 

"Very soon the idea sprung up that in his verses 
there lay hidden quite a peculiar wisdom and 
mystic meaning. Thus it happened, that as early 
as the 3d and 4th centuries, even Christian authors 
had contracted the habit of regarding him reveren- 
tially, a feeling which in its turn induced them to 
use him polemical, or at least for theological|pur- 
poses. 



236 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"Hence they sought to prove the beginning of 
the fourth Eclogue a Messianic prediction, and 
would have it that Virgil foresaw the day of Christ. 
This view rooted itself so deeply, that Virgil and 
the Sibyl were actually introduced into the liturgy 
of the Church, along with the Messianic prophecies 
of the Old Testament, and in the 'mysteries of 
the middle ages' are frequently cited as bearing 
witness to a coming messiah. Furthermore, when 
the first ages of polemical theology arrived, bibli- 
cal critics and controversialists did not hesitate 
to quote the verses of Virgil in elucidation of pas- 
sages of scripture, and in confirmation of their 
views." 

The reason the above quotation is presented here 
in connection with the birth of Jesus, is not so 
much so that it has any bearing with his birth, 
but to show the interest taken in such persons hav- 
ing the knowledge and power to deceive and in- 
fluence those who are ignorant and religiously 
superstitious. It is because of this that it was easy 
to write then concerning an ' 'immaculate concep- 
tion" and have the people believe it. We can with 
Reason then, conclude that Jesus was under the 
same Law of formation as we, and all other for- 
mations, consequently, not an "immaculate con- 
ception," for there are no "miracles" under the 
name of Law and Order. In view of this as the 
only means of Natural formation, it is hardly per- 
missible that the birth of Jesus should be viewed 
in any other light than a son to Joseph and Mary, 
tho there can be OPINIONS to the contrary. It 
was NO SIN for Mary to "be with child," tho 
in the Bible she is called a "virgin," simply be- 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 237 

cause in those days they called women virgins who 
lived under certain beliefs held by the Church, 
and men were "priests," for it was "the chief 
priests" in the Church who opposed the teaching 
expounded by Jesus, that said "crucify him." No 
doubt this is the reason Jesus taught against this 
religious doctrine, because, when he had reached 
the age of maturity, he had learned of his birth 
and why his mother left the Church and country, 
where she was afterwards sought and found with 
"the child in a manger." It was then that Joseph, 
who, no doubt, was a priest, was troubled in his 
Conscience, as was also Martin Luther, and also 
left the Church and followed Mary. This state 
of, not only a guilty Conscience is illustrated in 
Matthew, tho it is written so as to lay no blame on 
the Church, as well as to keep the people in igno- 
rance, but also that no shame be passed on the 
character of one who wished to uphold what she 
had believed sacred. 

It says, — "Then Joseph her husband, being a 
just man, and not willing to make her a public 
example, was minded to put her away privily. 
"But while he thought on these things, behold, 
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream." 
It is amusing to read what a "JUST MAN" 
Joseph was, but rather, how he wished the truth 
to be withheld from the public if possible, and 
how ALL MEN have ever since been "JUST," 
or that their character could never be ruined, but 
for women, well; she could have no character re- 
main after such an experience. But times are 
changing, and the character will be looked upon 
by all alike, besides, a child, no matter how it 



238 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

came in the world, if it be healthy and mature 
into usefulness, there will be no stain upon it, 
since, like all acts of Nature, it is the result of that 
act, tho its elders may be held up to ridicule. 
Nature is no respecter of persons, any more than 
"God is no respecter of persons," or Thought is no 
respecter of persons. So then, it gives the idea that 
it "appeared in a dream" to Joseph, but as nearly 
three hundred years had passed since the birth of 
Jesus, before any record was made concerning his 
birth, it is easy to understand how and why the 
writer of this epistle could and should make such 
a statement in order to lay no blame to Religion. 
Rather strange that the other sons and daughters 
born to Joseph and Mary should not have been 
born likewise. But it is out of the question to 
consider any other conception than the regular 
course under the Law of Nature. I can conceive 
the idea that "virgin" here, simply signifies purity 
of Thought above other women of her time, because 
of a desire to be the mother of "the Christ" to be 
born in that period as prophesied. This Thought 
could here be held in Conscience, and the child 
would take on such a condition of Thought as the 
Conscience developed to that state of maturity. 
This is proof to some extent because she left the 
Church that the child might be born and influenced 
by such environments, and because she enter- 
tained more of a Higher Ideal of what A Christian 
Life should be than the Christian life taught by the 
Church. 

The earth is the receptacle of the seed, as the 
Natural Law of increasing or multiplying, which 
will produce its kind ; so likewise is the woman the 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 239 

receptable of the seed which will produce its like, — 
the sex of the child being determined by the Law 
that governs the order of formation. I argue then, 
that Jesus was born of Joseph and Mary, but 
Christ, which is but the Idea of a Spiritual Creation 
was and is born of God, because it is a Thought. 
Jesus most always looked to God as the Father — 
Thought — and this is why it was very easy to 
hold to the opinion that he was an "immaculate 
conception," or "born of God," or, as Mrs. Eddy 
says "born of God and Mary." He said "Call 
no man on the earth your Father, for one is your 
Father, even God," which is not in evidence to- 
day, nor a recognition of the same, let alone, that 
ignorant generation. He could not say with 
profit: "call no one on the earth your mother," 
any more than he could profit by saying "call no 
man on the earth your Father," if it was not to hold 
the Spiritual View of Life instead of the Natural 
conception of life. Again, why did Jesus say 
"call no man on the earth your Father," when 
HE KNEW that there was such? if it were not 
but TO CHANGE OUR BASE OF THOUGHT 
from a^ Natural, to a Spiritual conception of Life. 
But how can we read Luke 1 : 26, 27, and still 
remain under this cloud of ignorance as to the mar- 
riage of Joseph and Mary, and a father and mother 
to Jesus? It reads, — "And in the sixth month the 
angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of 
Galilee, named Nazareth, "To a virgin espoused 
to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of 
David; and the virgin's name was Mary." What 
better evidence do we or can we wish as authority, 
than what is here written to the fact that Mary — 



240 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

she a virgin — was married — "ESPOUSED" — to 
Joseph? It plainly signifies here that Mary, like 
all women after a certain length of time or six 
months, or in the "sixth month," was in a pregnant 
state, or "with child." Again, I say it came to her 
during her marriage to Joseph that the child now 
in its "sixth month" was to be the Jesus that should 
reveal Christ, or the Spiritual Idea which was to 
be lived in the world then as much as possible, and 
by continued Thought respecting the same, it 
shall finally be the One Life. This conscious state 
of Spirituality or Mentality with Mary, was due 
to her past life of Virginity — Purity of Thought, 
which enabled her to receive the Divine Concep- 
tion, and afterwards mother it in the form of 
Jesus. We can also conclude from this that the 
foundation is laid for Good and Evil during the 
development of the embryo, therefore it behooves 
the mother to look to her Mental realm for any 
deficiency which may dwell there. So it is very 
evident that the Spiritual Conception of "the 
Christ" that should be BORN to Jesus, andBORNE 
by him after he reached the age in which he could 
impart it to the people was due to his ever recog- 
nition of the same during his early life. 

After reading the remarks in Luke 1 : 26 and 27, 
where it gives the marriage of Joseph and Mary, 
BEFORE Jesus was born, as just mentioned, — 
how ridiculous are the remarks in Luke 1 : 34 and 
35, or just following the former, since one seemingly 
denies the other. But the significance of the two 
verses first mentioned alludes to Jesus — the 
Natural and Physical form now being in its sixth 
month, due to her marriage as it says, with Joseph, 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 241 

while the following 34th and 35th allude to Christ 
— the Spiritual and Mental Idea to be received by 
Mary during her pregnant state. It reads: "Then 
said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, 
seeing I know not a man? And the angel an- 
swered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall 
come unto thee; and the power of the highest shall 
over-shadow thee; therefore also that holy thing 
which shall be born of thee, — shall be called the 
Son of God." The italics are mine. Note, it 
calls it a "thing," or not necessarily a person, and 
we like Mary "NEED TO KNOW NOT A MAN" 
in order to receive it as Mary received it. The 
remark: "it is born" — conceived by Mary, or 
given as coming from her, or born of woman, is 
because the word woman signifies a sending forth, 
or as that which gives out, or it comes from such a 
source, because Jesus came from such, as all mul- 
tiplication is from such a source. To repeat; 
how ridiculous is the latter remark made by Mary, 
— "How can this be, when I know not a man," 
when, in the verse previous to this remark, it 
claims Mary and Joseph were married — "ES- 
POUSED." 

There is too much custom and formality exist- 
ing in the world to-day, by which Religion is 
formed, so that, we are rendering "the things that 
be of Casar," rather than "THE THINGS THAT 
BE OF GOD." We should not be chastised nor 
criticised if we do not, as the Church has and does 
uphold and behold the form of Mary in her vir- 
ginity, since Jesus, her son, never looked to her in 
the light of so great a personality. In reality, he 
rejected her always, as pointed out heretofore, 



242 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

and also in the following, — as given in Luke 
2: 48 to 50. 

"And when they saw him, they were amazed, 
and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou 
thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I 
have sought thee sorrowing." Note here that 
Mary calls Joseph the "father" of Jesus, with the 
same respect that she alludes to herself as mother. 
"And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought 
me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's 
business? "And they understood not the saying 
which he spake unto them." And what was and is 
the "Father's business," but the Thought's busi- 
ness, or his Thought's business if the Thought is 
the same Thought either as represented by you or 
Jesus? The word "also" in that part of the sen- 
tence where it says, "therefore also that thing," 
signifies that there must have been something 
else, which is the form of Jesus in its embryotic 
state, while the "thing" must refer to what was to 
be born in connection with the form of Jesus. 

Here we find that with all the supposed spiritual 
belief which Mary contained, she was not able to 
"understand" the words which Jesus "spake" unto 
her about HIS "Father's business" — Thought's 
business. Paul's comprehension was much better 
than conceived by Mary, as he said, — "Though 
we have known Christ AFTER THE FLESH, 
yet henceforth know we him no more." In other 
words. It is to be lived in the Spirit, instead of 
"after the flesh" HERE, as the words of Paul 
signify not to be "known" — lived — after the flesh 
here. 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 243 

In prophesying the coming of Christ, or the per- 
son who should reveal a Higher L^ife than lived 
then and the present, — it did not say who should 
reveal it, but that it would be known who that 
person was, by the character of one of those born 
in that da}^ Mary seemed to be the one in her 
own mind, tho it is recorded that in those days 
others, who were "with child," went before *'the 
magistrate" to know if the child to be born of 
them should be "the Christ" representative. But 
Mary, above all others, recognized the condition 
under which the mother and child .should be, 
therefore, the "Angel" in the form of Thought came 
to her, regardless of what the Prelate should say or 
dictate. 

Having learned then, that God is Thought, and 
the Soul is Sense, in the light that a Sense of this 
life to be reached, is thru a Sense of Thought or 
God as Power over and above the Natural Con- 
dition we arrive at what "the resurrection" is, 
or that The Knowledge gained is "the resurrec- 
tion" referred to. So then, when the final State of 
Visible Immortality shall be reached, there will 
then be "no marriages," because people shall be 
as the "Angels of God in heaven," which is the 
Highest Conception of Life that can be reached. 
Judging from the condition of the world to-day 
and in the past, — it will be thousands of years 
before this realization can be made. But, if it 
has been millions of years in bringing about the 
Natural State of Evolution, we shall, and should 
not consider more of the future than is reasonable, 
since, "no man knoweth, not even the Son, what 
God hath prepared for them that love him." In 



244 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

other words, it is impossible for the "Son," which 
is merely an Act of the Word of God in the form 
of Thought cannot conceive what Thought will 
develop into, since It cannot be "prepared" by 
Thought until conceived in its fulness or finished 
work, and those who "love him" are merely the 
attributes of this Thought as it works to an end, 
since, you and I have failed to even understand, 
and therefore "love" It, because of living after 
the flesh, therefore, we cannot fully "love him," 
for, it is the work of God. So, by the Evolution of 
Thought will be brought about the Spiritual 
State of an existence. 

To quote Jesus again: "For, behold, the days 
are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed 
ARE the barren, and the wombs that never bare, 
and the paps which never gave suck." Emerson 
says "Marriage (in what is called the spiritual 
world) is impossible, because of the inequality 
between every subject and every object. The sub- 
ject is the receiver of God-head, and at every 
comparison must feel his being enhanced by that 
cryptic might." Whatever might be his opinion 
of "the spiritual world," it is hardly permissible 
that Emerson believed in "another world." So 
his statement here in what — as he says is 
"CALLED" the Spiritual world, simply expresses 
his idea to the fact that it would be impossible 
for anything of two distinct ideas to form any al- 
liance with each other. And so it is, as I have 
pointed out, — impossible for there to be any mar- 
riage when that State of Thought pertaining to 
One Life as God is reached, or, "the inequality 
between every subject and every object," or as 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 245 

Jesus says there shall be no marriages when all are 
as "the angels of God in heaven." When there is 
only one condition of Thought, which is God, there 
can be only one God and Man, or Man as God. 
So then, marriage is given "by permission" — "he 
doeth well" but not "by commandment" — "he 
doeth better," for, both the Spiritual and Natural 
Condition must exist until the Spiritual is declared 
by Thought or God to be the Only Life, and of a 
certainty, the Spiritual Life cannot be exclusively 
lived while both the Spiritual and Natural are 
lived. While, "marriage is a failure" to many who 
seek it in the wrong, it is also a blessing to those 
who seek it in the right, yet, "in the flesh ye shall 
have trouble." Jesus did not speak much on mar- 
riage, and when he did, it was on parable lines, or 
very obscure. He knew it required Time for 
"Nature to work to her own end," as all Perfection 
is based on Time. But I predict there shall be an 
end to Time, when Perfection is reached, because 
there will then be no use for Time. 

In Matthew 19: 7 and 8 we read, — "They say 
unto him, Why did Moses then command to give 
a writing of divorcement, and to put her awayl 
"He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hard- 
ness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your 
wives; but from the beginning it was not so." The 
law of divorce given by Moses, gives an idea of 
how the average mortal stood in those days, be- 
cause of man's brute nature — the sexual indulgence 
of desire — and the same which Christ aims to de- 
stroy. Perhaps the last reference made by Jesus 
in regard to marriage, and which is the most im- 
portant of them all, will be found in Matthew, 



246 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

as well as the other Apostles, because it gives "the 
resurrection" and marriage together. "The same 
day came to him the Sadducees, which say that 
there is no resurrection, and asked him, "Saying, 
Master, Moses said. If a man die, having no children, 
his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed 
unto his brother. "Therefore, in the resurrection, 
whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all 
had her. "Jesus answered and said unto them, 
ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the 
power of God. "For in the resurrection, they 
neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but 
are as the angels of God in heaven. " But as touch- 
ing the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read 
that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 
"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of 
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God 
of the dead, but of the living. "And when the 
multitude heard THIS, they were astonished at 
his doctrine." 

The Sadducees were nearer the Truth in one 
sense of the word than those who were "astonished 
at this doctrine," for, like the doubting Thomas, 
the questions of the Sadducees brought forth the 
"doctrine" that the thing to know, was "the 
power of God" — Thought to raise man up to a 
Higher Life then and there. Thru the questions 
of the Sadducees we will find that "the resurrec- 
tion of the dead," are not the dead as we have 
always BELIEVED, and in fact, does not refer 
to man directly, but indirectly, as heretofore ex- 
plained. Now the Sadducees were very anxious to 
know the facts, and so, they brought out all the 
above as relating to THEMSELVES, or, THOSE 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 247 

PRESENT THEN AND THERE, as we would 
do NOW in asking about the life which concerns 
us. Therefore, it was a DIRECT QUESTION, 
and the reply should have been a direct reply, or 
refer to those present, as it should be if we asked 
the question concerning us. But, NOTE THE 
REPLY, — "In the resurrection they neither marry 
nor are given in marriage." Whereas, had it been 
intended for THOSE PRESENT, or FOR US, 
it should read YOU, instead of ''THEY neither 
marry nor are given in marriage." It follows then, 
that "they" as used in the place of the word you, 
refers to a certain period, or generation, or future, 
or "hereafter," or beyond the then and now present 
time, and not to you, nor to those asking the ques- 
tion. But because Jesus said "THEY neither 
marry nor are given in marriage," it is easy to 
understand how the word " they" can be ignorantly 
interpreted, because of the remark, — "They all 
had her" is given. But, if this latter remark is 
taken in such a light of a hereafter for those present, 
and us, or concerning them and us, or those who 
marrv, or THOSE WHO ARE SINGLE WHILE 
LIVING DURING THE MARRIAGEABLE 
ERA, or as two conditions as then and now are 
present, — it should be sentenced when reading, 
"God is not the God of the dead but of the living," 
for, the Sadducees remarked that "THEY WHO 
HAD HER WERE DEAD," just as we remark 
about the dead and believe they or we shall live 
forever, or be "resurrected." We are living in 
that age referred to in Revelation 20: 5, saying, 
"This is the first resurrection," because this is 
the beginning — "first" — knowledge of what the 
resurrection signifies. 



248 MfENTAL EVOLUTION 

Having convinced you — aimed to at least, that 
"Angels" are not necessarily individuals, nor mas- 
culine and feminine, but, that Angel is a term to 
Express God in the form of Thought, therefore, 
the same, or a synonym, — we can conclude that 
"the angels of God in heaven," when speaking of 
the resurrection and marriage, is the Highest 
Conception of Life that can be reached, and "they 
neither marry nor are given in marriage," because 
THEY — people who have reached the same State 
as "They" the "Angels" cannot marry since they 
are in One Condition of Thought, which is "God 
in heaven." I wish to repeat that those who are 
able to "overcome the world" as Jesus and Paul 
taught, while living in the marriageable Era, are 
under the Natural and Spiritual Law of Death and 
Life as Jesus and Paul were, and all during the 
Natural condition, but that "ALL MEN" shall be 
even as "I am," is, or refers to the end of the Na- 
tural condition — "end of the world." So then, 
the State of Immortality will, of course, be in the 
"hereafter" HERE, because it is not true here 
to-day. 

It has always been a wonder to me how Mrs. 
Eddy could entertain the idea as I do, or that 
"the time is coming when there shall be no mar- 
riage" — this — a copy of her remark — and yet 
cling to the idea that she, or any of us who are now 
living, shall continue to live, after what is termed 
death, or the death of that person. Her two terms 
are contradictory, that is, — to claim there shall be 
no marriage here, and claim that we continue to 
exist, is to throw those who do not marry in a 
different state than we, when ALL people — "they" 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 249 

— are referred to as the same, or the passage is 
directed to all persons, or refers to a time and period 
when all persons are of the same Thought — God. 
Such a State then, throws us of to-day as in no way 
connected with a future life, other than that we 
are PARTAKERS of the same life NOW, and 
therefore a HELP as in all walks of life to that 
or this State in the future by having "PART in 
the resurrection" — SOME of the Knowledge of a 
Higher Life. You can or ought to be able to see 
clearly that Mrs. Eddy cannot, nor you cannot 
link the two ideas together. It therefore proves 
that she is unable to explain WHY "there shall 
be no marriage," and still hold the idea good as to 
herself and her followers living hereafter, or that 
they continue to exist in the form of Spirit by 
saying HERE, — "Man is Spiritual and not Ma- 
terial." If she used the term, "I am Spiritual and 
not Material," that would be in harmony with the 
Truth, because the "I am" is significant of "the 
Christ" — Mental or Spirit I have alluded to here- 
tofore, but w^ill quote it here again. "Ye are not 
of the world, even as I AM not of the world, I 
and my Father are one," because the I am and 
Thought — Father are One, which refers to all 
alike by the words, — "ye are not of the world," 
because of the Unity of Thought — God. He re- 
ferred to the opposite or Mental and Spirit when 
he said at another time "ye are of your Father the 
Devil," that is, the Unity of Thought is the Father 
of Evil, and therefore both Good and Evil — God 
and Satan — Spiritual and Natural is a condition 
we are all under. But for the article I recently read 
in a newspaper concerning her idea of marriage, 



250 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

I should not have mentioned the above. The 
article said, "Regarding marriage Mrs. Eddy never 
interferes with any individual's discretion in this 
matter except when she believes the person unfit 
for this step. Marriages are common in the 
Christian Science Church." This, of course, is 
not a remark made by Mrs. Eddy, but upheld by 
her followers and even Mrs. Eddy, since it was not 
contradicted by her, as it should have been when 
it came to her notice, if she had not been in sym- 
pathy with it. The above article was published 
because of her idea in regard to marriage which 
had been assaulted by other denominations. If 
then, she believes marriage is only for those who 
are fit to be (she is correct here in my opinion, as 
long as the conditions are favorable to Natural 
Law) SHE HERE ENTIRELY DENIES the 
teaching of Jesus in that he said " they neither mar- 
ry nor are given in marriage" — not claiming here 
that it is only intended for those who are "unfit." 
In other words, her remarks refuse to accept the 
idea that Jesus "overcome the world" — sexual 
indulgence, as AN EXAMPLE, and that the 
TRUE FOLLOWERS should in Time, or at some 
future Time, do likewise, also, making Jesus and 
Paul "unfit" for the marriageable state, because 
they did not marry. It is also a slur on those who 
profess to be Christian Scientists in case they are 
able to overcome, and so do not marry, since they 
would be held up to ridicule, because it infers they 
are "unfit" to do so. That "marriages are com- 
mon in the Christian Science Church" is no wonder, 
and is true because it could not be otherwise in 
that Church, any more than any other, nor those 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 251 

outside of the Church, since, it is a Law of the 
Natural Condition, which also proves the religious 
teaching is like all Religion in that it evades, to 
some extent the Truth Scientifically put. Mar- 
riage is proper, because it "becometh us to fulfil 
all righteousness" — right until a better condition 
is reached, since Error is sometimes imperative 
until Truth renders itself Absolute. Do not 
imagine Jesus said "be of good cheer," just to con- 
sole you to the fact that he "overcome the world" 
FOR YOU, but that you should "be of good cheer" 
to know that you should aim to "overcome the 
world" likewise. 

In connection with marriage, — there is no word 
that has been so much misused, or I might better 
say abused, as the word "Love." "Ye shall love 
one another" refers to an act of Good. The word 
"affection" applies more to marriage than the 
word Love, however, we will use the latter here out 
of respect to marriage. "God is Love," or Love 
is Thought, denote a condition of Thought that 
cannot be applied to marriage. People are bound 
to respect and Love each other irrespective of 
marriage. We hear because a man and woman 
falls in love, they become married. But, this is 
not a fact, because love here is connected with 
passion, as Meredith wrote, "We can live without 
love, what is passion but pining." I claim "Love 
at sight," is passion Right, because it too, cannot 
uphold the common view of love in that we are 
supposed to be in company with each other for 
some time in order to entertain a feeling of love 
for each other. I say, He that is married, but 
looketh upon another woman, saying, "I have 



252 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

found my affinity," hath only lost his love of pas- 
sion for the other, since love, or passion, dieth 
when it cannot further seek its own. Therefore, 
affection could be more properly used in applying 
to a feeling that should exist between man and 
woman, while it may also be used to express a 
fondness between mother and child, yet, the word 
Love, properly used shows more of its meaning 
because if you respect your child, you will do an 
act of Love, or an act of God. We get this idea 
in the following passage, — "Behold what manner 
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we 
should be called the Sons of God, therefore the 
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." 
We learn from the remarks made by Jesus, and 
also experience, that the heart is more capable of 
"evil thoughts, murder, adulteries," etc., than of 
Love, which former is guided more by the brain 
and nerve, as in the animal, therefore Natural, 
while the latter is that which is of God because it 
is Good. Tho the dictionaries have classed the 
word love with the word affection, I cannot agree 
that they are the same in the true Sense of expres- 
sion. When referring to "God is Love," Paul 
says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is Love." But 
he refers to the opposite, or "affection" when he 
says, — "And they that are Christ's, have crucified 
the flesh with the affections and lusts." The 
animal shows even such signs, and they know 
nothing of what ought to be termed Love, or God in 
the Sense of Higher things, or have no Mind of 
their own, but is also a sign of selfishness, for, as 
a rule they only protect their own. We are be- 
coming less selfish, because we are growing away 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 253 

from nature, yet, we are unable to see this growth. 
It is hidden in the fact tho, by occasionally read- 
ing of where "learned men" have expressed cer- 
tain views, tho criticised and called "unhumani- 
tarian" because they have said "older women" 
are not to be looked after so much as the young. 
But I predict the time is coming when these 
"older" persons, as well as some others not in 
health, will lose their selfish view to that extent 
they will be glad to depart by some easier death — 
ask to be relieved by some potion — than to wait 
until a crippled age, or an incurable disease has 
relinquished them from their present difficulty, 
for, as Jesus says, "It would be better if that man 
had never been born." The selfish desire to remain 
with their people will be outgrown by the fact 
that they have run their full course in being a 
benefit to the race, and so, depart in peace, rather 
than depart when nature alone has its day. 

People talk of the selfishness of others, when 
there is not one of us but entertains a part in 
selfishness in some form or another. Show me a non- 
selfish person, and I will show you the end of the 
world. I read an article recently written by a 
Minister in which it said "the selfish person is a 
worse person to reform than a criminal." If he 
had but reflected on himself he could have dis- 
covered just what he referred to — "the selfish 
person," for we can readily detect in the man 
working to receive a "reward in heaven," the worst 
form of selfishness, since, he would not be working 
for the cause if it were not for what he expected 
to receive in the future, yet, I believe some are a 



254 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

little doubtful, because many to-day are working 
more for the monetary end of it. 

Perhaps a very suitable way to illustrate af- 
fection — commonly called love — or that the feeling 
between the male and female is not necessarily 
love, but passion, is to show where it is liable to 
end, especially if they are demonstrative in their 
affection, as shown in the caress or embrace. If 
a man be addicted to drink, and you give him a 
glass of wine, he may not feel the effect of it, but 
let him continue the drink one after another, and 
the result will be a case of intoxication and per- 
haps evil results, which is a lesson in most cases 
that the first one should be avoided. So, with 
embracing and kissing, — the kiss contains the in- 
gredient of desire to satisfy self in some form or 
another, and will, if continued, grow into an evil 
desire when practised by the opposite sexes, and 
in many cases, result in evil, tho once may not 
bring the effect. This again, is proof that it is 
not "of the Spirit," but is "of the flesh." There 
is no better teacher than experience, and I aver 
that there is no difference in the experience of all 
men and women, tho some, to avoid conviction, 
claim they could not experience such feelings thru 
such processes, but I acknowledge my experience 
is no more than some others, or those who would 
not admit the truth. 

If my heart is made sore by the loss of a friend, 
business, or property, it is because I too am selfish, 
and I have experienced and expect to experience 
these things, just as Jesus "wept" on certain oc- 
casions. Yet, in reality I have no loss, for I am 
not the original cause of such things, but am under 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 255 

two laws of creation, and can use only what is 
necessary, therefore, they — these things do not be- 
long to me. This reminds me of the story of a 
tramp who was lying on the ground in a villa, when 
he was approached by "the Lord" of the place 
and asked to "vacate." The tramp asked "who 
does this belong to," at which the Master replied, 
"it is my estate." The tramp asked "how did you 
come into possession of it." He replied, "I in- 
herited it from my father." How did he get it. 
He and his men fought for it. The tramp began 
removing his coat, and at the same time remarked, 
"Let's fight for it." If the mother weeps for the 
loss of a child , she is doing so thru a lack of knowl- 
edge of the law of Creation and things in their 
order of destruction. Jesus referred to this when 
he said, — "Follow me and let the dead bury the 
dead." The mother looks at the child as HER 
OWN, and of a necessity weeps for HER OWN, — 
but knowing the child belongs to the law of Crea- 
tion and formation, and therefore ITS OWN, she 
has no real authority for weeping. So I say, 
he that goeth about weeping over a lost wife, is 
only making it easier for the next one — the sym- 
pathetic woman hath a large heart, and she "falls" 
for the same selfish-sympathy that is within the 
man, for all such love is more or less selfish, which 
is derived from Nature. Sympathy is a poor sub- 
stitute for an act. Some persons feel "hurt" 
if you never sympathize with them. Sympathy 
never filled the hungry, nor cured the sick and 
sinful. 

Let us turn here to what extent love in nature 
may be used, or that, where love for a child may 



256 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

be removed, if, at any time, the selfish nature de- 
mands vsome other form of love in nature, by quot- 
ing from Spencer. 

"Great love of offspring is ascribed to the New 
Guinea people, — and yet a man will "barter one 
or two" with a trader for something he wants. 
Eyre states that the natives of Australia are char- 
acterized by strong parental affection, — and yet, 
besides being said to desert sick children, Agnas 
asserts of them that on the Murray they will 
sometimes kill a boy to bait their hooks with his 
fat. Of the Fuegians we read that they are affec- 
tionate towards each other, — and yet that in times 
of scarcity they kill the old women for food. Keep- 
ing this in mind, we shall be aided in reconciling 
the conflicting accounts of his excessive egotism, 
and his fellow feeling — his cruelty and kindness." 
While this quotation shows "excessive egotism," 
it illustrates this in a hereditary form in us, be- 
cause we know of such cases of extreme kindness 
in one instant, and of extreme cruelty in another 
instant being practised by the same person on 
another, and that the same can be improved — 
not by satisfying self — but by looking to a Higher 
Ideal of IJfe as our existence, irrespective of what 
concerns ourself. 

Jesus said, — "And every one that hath forsaken 
father, or mother, or wife, or children, for my name's 
sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall in- 
herit everlasting life." This has given rise to the 
opinion that man should leave his wife, etc., or 
that it even refers to a separation by divorce. It 
simply alludes to the fact that if we give up the 
religious opinion held by our "forefathers," or 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 257 

as being in no way related to them only by asso- 
ciation for a cause as in nature it must be so, such 
would open the way to receive the Knowledge of 
a Higher Life than is revealed by Nature, because 
it would denote unselfishness in us, and so not 
relate to the natures of man generally. By giving 
up such past theories of a life ''hereafter," which 
is "of the flesh" — the opinion derived from the 
selfish view of "father, mother," etc., — we re- 
ceive — "inherit everlasting life" HERE. That 
is, we "inherit" as much as we are able to receive 
and use here. We, in the same way "inherit" 
money for the Physical part of life, only in the 
proportion that we are able to use it here, since it 
can only be used here. If the above referred to 
separation, or divorce, it would contradict the 
saying, — "For this cause shall a man leave father 
and mother, and shall CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE." 

The only thing then to do is to affirm the Truth 
only, that only the Truth shall appear by Man- 
ifestation, therefore, it is God — Man — who af- 
firms its own, as also it would be Satan — man — 
who affirms its own. So I am in one sense Tem- 
poral, "Nevertheless I live, yet NOT I, but Christ 
liveth in me," — and I live, yet not I, but Satan 
liveth in me, therefore "I am" God and Satan. 
But when I "pass away" — die, Then I can be 
nothing, because I — form cannot express either 
life, since, I shall be NO FORM OF LIFE. 

Jesus said "Whosoever speaketh a word against 
the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but who- 
soever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall 
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither 
in the world to come." In other words, — to 



258 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

speak against me as the Son of man, as we talk of 
one another, will not affect me as to my morality 
or immorality, since I am affected by my own 
thoughts, and therefore, leaves nothing in its 
true sense to be "forgiven," or "it shall be for- 
given," because I am not subject to what is said 
against me — "the Son of man" — because there can 
be no conviction, or I cannot be condemned 
within myself from what is said of me. But to 
speak against the "Holy Ghost," which is "The 
Comforter," is to lessen the followers of Truth, 
and so, cannot "be forgiven," or overlooked in 
"this world" because it THEN AND THERE 
HINDERS the work of God— Thought— in "this 
world," and "in the world to come," since, "the 
world to come" CANNOT COME— be present in 
this world — unless the Truth is recognized in 
"this world," and so cannot "be forgiven," be- 
cause sin cannot be forgiven, but should be abol- 
ished, when it is THEN AND THERE forgiven, 
because it is destroyed, but not that it is forgiven. 
Some will remark by way of excuse, — "How could 
Jesus have done such mighty works if he was not 
born of God?" To this ignorant remark, we can 
reply, "there have been men before and since his 
time who lived at some time — Paul, for instance — 
very far from what is right, yet their recognition 
and understanding of a Higher Life and Power of 
Thought, have enabled them to do "many won- 
derful things" — seemingly, if not a fact. If this 
were not true, then there would be no help for 
man to rise above Evil conditions, since ALE have 
erred, even Jesus. To make ourself equal to the 
Truth he taught, is to make ourselves "equal to 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 259 

God," and this is the only "Salvation," but, the 
average man cannot entertain the idea of a Spirit- 
ual Life here, because he has failed to recognize 
the fact that he is only equal here to whatever he 
believes, therefore, their likeness to the Jews in the 
time of Jesus. To repeat the words of Jesus, — 
" Is it not written in your law, I said ye are Gods? " 
making all men equal to God. 

I predict then, that when man reaches that period 
— that is, "all men," or State called Spiritual Life 
which is the Complete Life or State of Perfection, 
that the propagation period — Natural and Spirit- 
ual jointly, or Physical and Mental jointly — will 
be that end, which IS, "the end of the world," 
but not the end of the world as referred to by 
Theologians and the public in general, for "I 
came not to destroy, but to save the world." 
As touching on such a state of existence, we will 
quote Matthew 19: 11 and 12. "But he said unto 
them all men cannot receive this saying, save 
they to whom it is given. "For there are some 
eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's 
womb, and there are some eunuchs, which were 
made eunuchs of men, and there be eunuchs, which 
have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom 
of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, 
let him receive it." 

In the above quotation we cannot evade the 
fact that, as in "Natural selection," of the Phys- 
ical growth of existence, there is also a Spiritual 
selection in the Mental growth of existence. Not 
that there are Naturally and Spiritually any 
SPECIALLY SELECTED PERSONS, as in 
Religion there seems to be a tendencv to believe 



260 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

that God selects certain persons for that or this, 
or that some are especially selected to master others, 
or that they are to be educated above others, and 
therefore "favored," but, "God is no respecter of 
persons." Some are physically unfit as well as 
spiritually unfit, or naturally and mentally so, 
but not because of the individual or you is it 
necessarily vSO. We have "they to whom it is 
given," because "all men cannot receive this 
saying." And not that it is specially "given," 
or that certain persons are "selected" from among 
a group, but that it is given to those who "are 
able to receive it." You will note that there are 
three types of eunuchs. The first signifies an im- 
proper birth, — the second signifies one that is 
made so thru surgery, as in the case of man serv- 
ing Rulers, etc. The third and most important 
one, signifies the operation being performed by 
Thought — God — as in the case of Jesus and Paul, 
referred to when Jesus had "overcome the world" 
— flesh — and Paul expressed in saying, "I wish all 
men were even as I am," and had power "OVER 
HIS OWN WILL"— natural will. He has made 
himself a "eunuch for the kingdom of heaven's 
sake," refers to one during the marriageable period 
so that others may follow after a like fashion. 
This is in evidence that man is finally to overcome, 
or give up such relations, for there would be no 
occasion to use this proverb, — man becomes a 
eunuch for the kingdom of heaven's sake — if such 
were not true, because it would make the passage 
NULL and VOID. I can fully understand as 
Paul did, why "THE NATURAL MAN"— mar- 
ried and single — "knoweth not the things that be 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 261 

of God" — because such things are of Thought and 
not Natural, and so are "foolishness unto him, 
for they are spiritually discerned" — they are men- 
tally discerned, while the "Natural man" looks 
always to the Physical or that which is Natural 
and so believes the Mental cannot, at least, in a 
measure control the Physical because "it is ac- 
cording to nature." It does not have any choice 
of men nor of women, as Mrs. Eddy and others 
seem to think, or as Mrs. Eddy says "God has 
been graciously fitting me." "It is God that 
worketh in you" — and has no thought of individ- 
ual persons. Neither has Satan — Thought — any 
choice of men and women, because it is a Unity of 
Evil. So we cannot be "rewarded" nor "con- 
demned" hereafter for what we as individuals do 
in a body, if it is "THEY"— God and Satan— 
"Good and Evil"— that "WORKETH IN YOU," 
yet, we are God and Satan because they work in 
us as a body. Robert IngersoU similarly defined 
this when he said "man is but the soil in which 
good and evil grows." Here again let me remark 
that it is reasonable to believe the world has al- 
ways existed in some form or other, that it shall 
always exist, ("I came not to destroy but to save 
the world"), and that it never had a "beginning," 
since space must always have been and is filled; 
that something cannot be made from "nothing," 
but that this something could exist as solids with- 
out having a beginning, from the very fact that 
existence cannot exist from non-existence, but is 
because there is a world existence. The only thing 
then, that has "a beginning" is Life, or "Motion" 



262 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

in the form of life, because any other existence 
need have no beginning, because only A GROWTH 
CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH A BEGINNING. 
After millions of years this could develop thru 
laying dormant by fermentation into different 
terms of life from the fact that by one body com- 
ing in contact with another body forms a growth 
of one body in another state, just as two acids 
placed together will produce another or one acid 
with no seeming relationship. It is a reasonable 
supposition that the wind having blown the leaves 
from one location to another, that there these took 
root and grew up different forms of forests or 
growths than what existed in this locality, because 
it is a known fact that the forests having existed 
here have been put to route by other growths of 
forests springing up in this locality, just as in all 
animal life and growth there is a tendency to, 
or one animal will put to route the other as is also 
the case of mankind. This is according to nature 
— the brute — and cannot have any part with what 
is termed a Mental Life concerning Higher things. 
It is highly conceivable then that when Thought 
had developed into a state of Consciousness that 
there could begin to form a new condition of life, 
and this has been and is my aim to prove that this, 
i. e., ''the beginning" of what constitutes God and 
Satan — "Good and Evil" as referred to in Gen- 
esis, and thru the development of such Thought of 
One Only will also be the overcoming of the other 
Thought and the world which is "THE END" 
of that world or worldly condition. This assertion 
places me on the level of what I think, which is the 
Thought, **I AM" also, and so to a certain extent 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 263 

places me above the Natural condition. This has 
been in my experience so, and if it be in my ex- 
perience so, then it is "the Truth" to me, tho it 
may not be the Truth to you, because it is not in 
your experience so. It is the natural belief of man, 
because he is "the natural man," that it — the 
Natural condition cannot be overcome, since, be- 
lieving — thinking such — will make it such, for, 
as "ye believe, so be it done unto you." Belief 
is really all there is in what concerns life, yet, to 
believe in another life has nothing to do with an- 
other life hereafter concerning you, because YOU 
CANNOT THINK NOW for any life to-morrow, 
since Thought of to-day cannot work for the to- 
morrow, because the Thought to-morrow will work 
for itself. It is impossible to overcome a thing 
you believe as impossible. The "natural man" 
as in Religion he is taught has been foolish enough 
to believe that Jesus lived just to "overcome the 
world" for us, when we are all subject to the same 
laws. Neither can it be said with accuracy that 
Jesus always lived up to what is referred to as 
overcoming the world, since the natural man 
was so much more in evidence then, than it is 
to-day, but that his abstaining — "fasting" — for 
forty days from the same, illustrates the fact that 
it could be overcome then and now, at least to a 
certain extent, and thru this was he able to proph- 
esy what he believed to be "The Truth," or the 
God-Thought would in Time destroy these con- 
ditions and necessarily bring about a different 
condition of life. But, as to the Reality of what 
that life should be, he knew not as he said, — "no 
man knoweth, not even the Son," other than what 



264 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

Thought — "God hath prepared for them that love 
him" — would produce as a result of this thinking 
of the same. The teacher of a school is subject to 
the same as the scholars, and the scholars are sub- 
ject to the same laws as the teacher. The teacher 
is only a teacher because of having made more of a 
study of the problem taught than the scholars 
to be taught. We lay great stress on all other 
problems and preach against all other forms of 
appetite, but avoid the Real Truth as Jesus taught, 
lest we convict ourselves. We preach against 
drink, tobacco and the like, when they should be 
the last to be considered, for, you may take your 
"dope" in the form of Tea, Coffee, Chocolate and 
the many forms of "drugs" necessary to alleviate 
a feeling or perhaps nervous condition that has 
been brought about by living "after the flesh." 
It is said by your best authorities that "Tea is the 
most injurious of any of the luxuries." Perhaps 
it does not affect one in the same way. You may 
be opposed to something because it does not agree 
with what you like, or the odor may be offensive 
to you, or you may be opposed to a "tobacco 
breath" as some one is opposed to an "onion 
breath," but, as Paul said, "to him that esteemeth 
anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." 
But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now 
walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him 
with thy meat, for whom Christ died." All re- 
formers take the view that it is the work of God 
back of them when they wish to make laws against 
another body or party, but they should know it 
is the work of God in the individual, or that God 
should work in the "reformer" to destroy the Evil 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 265 

in them, as God will work in the other body or 
party to destroy the Evil in them, and then the 
Evil will be destroyed, and not until then, because, 
perhaps the reformers have more damnable evils 
in them than in those in them whom they wish to 
make laws against. For my part, I am too much 
of an Evolutionist to be a Revolutionist or a 
Reformer, since, I do not believe that things can 
be entirely overcome during the individual's term 
of life, or, that a thing can be constructed in "SIX 
DAYS," that requires thousands of years to ac- 
complish. Even Jesus was **a glutton and a 
winebibber" or, was called so because he "came 
eating and drinking," tho he may not have drank 
to excess. Some may say here, — "that was only 
a remark made by his enemies." How absurd 
of me to say to a man who is an absolute "abstain- 
er," — "you are a drunkard." 

So then, if you find a man is a drunkard, etc., 
do not blame him, ("I condemn no man," are the 
words of Jesus), because he is condemned or not 
to that extent he is subject to that or this, for it 
is not he that is working, but a conditioned en- 
vironment which he is subject to, as you are under 
bond to some like habit, since in you the Evil 
is working in some like form. Besides, the drink 
will condemn him, as the appetite in another form 
will condemn you then and there, and the drink 
and other habits formed are nothing compared to 
the One Real Evil Jesus referred to as the worst 
form. 

Several years ago while traveling thru Pennsyl- 
vania I chanced to be in conversation with a 
traveling salesman who said: "I detest a drunkard 



266 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

and everything connected with the liquor traffic." 
Later in the conversation he suggested that that 
night we "make the rounds." He was a married 
man but, of course, he, like many others, or re- 
formers, only "detested" things concerning other 
people or that which did not interfere with his own 
so-called pleasure, and so one can imagine there 
are things other than liquor when abused that will 
"ruin a home." No wonder Jesus said to the then 
and now Pharisee, "O generation of Vipers: how 
can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the 
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." 
It lies within us to overcome the things in us which 
are a detriment to us irrespective of what another 
believes is right or wrong for us. Paul said 
"WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION," 
and you will be doing all that is required, because, 
others will see if there be any improvement in 
YOU, and the result will be more favorable than 
to force others to believe as you may see wrongly. 
Then will the manufacturer of this or that be put 
out of business, since there can be no sale for any- 
thing if there be no desire and demand. Take, 
for instance, in every problem of life, — the wild 
animals become extinct when the woods are cleared 
away to make room for more civilized conditions. 
They could not, nor would not breed under such 
conditions. The insects do not appear when there 
is nothing to breed from and attract them. De- 
cayed matter and the like creates worms and the 
like. When the swamps and low lands are done 
away with, or used to better advantage, there will 
be no cause for the kind of insects which generally 
live and thrive there. When cleanliness is 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 267 

THOROUGH, the house will have no room for the 
insects which would otherwise inhabit it. Fly- 
paper does not do away with existing conditions; 
it only attracts insects which exist because of ex- 
isting conditions. Man is the only living creature 
having a Mind and Conscience, therefore it is only 
reasonable to believe that he is the only form of 
life that can exist forever, or not become extinct, 
for Thought or God is in the world, that man may 
be saved from death in the world. This state of 
existence is referred to in chapter 19, verse 7 of 
Revelation. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give 
honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is 
come, and his wife hath made herself ready." 
This is in recognition of the fact that man being 
Conscious of "the Christ" — "the Lamb is come" — 
and the Truth, which is "HIS WIFE," is ready to 
be wed — accepted by all persons, for "His wife 
hath made herself ready," and the "false bride" — 
Error — is divorced by the Truth. This State of 
existence is the "New heaven and the new earth" 
referred to in Revelation, while "The first heaven 
and the first earth were passed away," thru a 
better understanding of what heaven and earth 
signify, and the Thought of the same, as referred 
to in the FINAL chapter of Revelation. 

We have found that the Principle of the Evolu- 
tion of Thought is always the same, and since we, 
or if we know the Principle, we can work according- 
ly. And, since there is no other space in which it 
can exist, tho it needs no space as a Principle, it 
cannot or does not exist as a Reality until it is 
demonstrated so by Expression fully developed 
as a Reality. This makes "Predestination" a lie, 



268 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

from the very fact that nothing can be predestined 
as a result, and that which now exists as a Reality, 
knows nothing of to-morrow which shall be a dif- 
ferent Reality. That is, the candle as light, could 
not predestine the electric as light, tho the prin- 
ciple of light is the same; for the electric is a dif- 
ferent light, therefore a different Reality, yet the 
candle as light was the only Reality of light in its 
day. "Thou lovedest me before the foundation 
of the world," is simply significant of a Principle 
or anything which cannot be seen by the eye as in 
Nature things are seen, since Thought, Spirit, 
Love, Right and Wrong, Good and Evil and Rea- 
son cannot be seen only as they are Expressed by 
the form of man which is man. Man — form is but 
the PENDULUM swaying as they— Good and 
evil works, and therefore not steadfast as One — 
God. He is, like all forms of life, a kind of "THIRD- 
PART" as referred to in Revelation. 

If you did believe, or do believe in Predestina- 
tion, you cannot have any hope for yourself, from 
the very fact that if God Predestined it SO AND 
SO, you would not change from a fool to anything 
better, or a different life, because you are so and 
so, or thusly. If you have been convinced or not 
of no Predestination, it is hoped also to convince 
you that there is no "Regeneration." You ought to 
be convinced of this, since, as stated. Evolution is 
by Thought, consequently. Thought cannot re- 
turn, or there is no Thought to return, but IS, or 
the Thought of to-day cannot return and take 
the place of the Thought that IS, or is HERE, 
because only that Thought which is here can exist 
as Thought. It cannot return in something else 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 269 

to-morrow, or be born in something else to-morrow, 
when it and that which did exist by it can go no 
place, because there is no place — space but as it 
exists as we see it, only that the body — material 
returns "to dust." If you have followed me in 
believing that Thought develops and exists, and 
man exists and evolves as the Thought exists and 
develops, then you cannot conceive the idea that 
ANYTHING RETURNS, as believed also by 
those who believe "Reincarnation," because we 
can here say again, that what IS NOW IS, and 
not that anything can return, or appear again in 
another form. For, as the leaf which returns to 
the earth to replace there the space made vacant 
by the next leaf, so you likewise — shall return to 
fill the space left vacant by that body which 
shall be born to Express this Life. I have only 
repeated the unselfish remarks made by Jesus 
in a different way, but the same meaning, and 
we should not consider the possible selfish 
remarks made by him, any more than those 
made by us, yet we are not responsible as individ- 
uals for the selfish remarks made, since we are the 
offspring of selfish remarks made, or those made by 
him. 

We should not approve of looking back, or to 
the origin of things, only as a lesson in Evolution 
on a Physical basis in that it assists in finding the 
facts of a Spiritual Evolution. 

So then, if this thinking of the present only, 
("TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MOR- 
ROW"), and consequently of no God only as a 
present Thought and so no hereafter, sound un- 
reasonable to my readers or that it can be termed 



270 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

"INFIDEL,"— then I am an Infidel to you, which 
is no more than that you are an Infidel to me. If 
one aims to live the Christ life here, he or she may 
be an Infidel in name only, therefore, a Christian 
in Truth in one sense of the word. If one be called 
a Christian and have no such qualities as Christ, 
then he or she is a Christian in name only, there- 
fore nothing in Christ, since the name of a thing 
does not give it its quality, but is qualified to be 
such by the character lived. But one cannot claim 
to be a Real Christian — Christ in Truth, because 
no man can live a Christ life, in its Absolute form 
to-day, and Jesus did not, because the word Jesus 
signifies the Natural Life, but finally ''THEY" 
will "ALL be CHRIST'S'— many in the one 
name — Christ, and not man as Jesus. The Phi- 
losophy of Christianity is a Truth, just as the Phi- 
losophy of Socialism is a Truth, but you can no 
more be a Christian to-day, than you could be a 
Socialist, other than in name, since, there are many 
Socialists who if they had the opportunity would 
in this age of greed do what their opponents are 
doing, and all must be educated ALIKE in the 
natural world of living, as in the Spiritual world 
of living here. Therefore, one is a Socialist in 
name only, as the one is a Christian in name only. 
Socialism deals with the material and physical 
life and so is related only to the Natural Law, while 
Christianity deals with the Mental and Spiritual 
Life and so is related only to the Spiritual Law of 
Life. However, they are associated with each 
other because of the existing conditions. Christ 
deals with the Spiritual as related to the Mental 
working to destroy the organs of desire and appe- 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 271 

tite, while the Socialist deals with the system of 
the distribution of profits, and that which concerns 
the body, instead of the Real Soul. 

I argue that this is Mental Evolution because 
it is above the Evolution of man in the Phys- 
ical. The latter or "man from a monkey,' 
very rightly derives its name from the beginning 
of formation with no Sense of Cause, and therefore 
no Cause for anything higher than its own until 
a Knowledge of this or that developed. 

"And it came to pass, when Jesus ended 
these sayings, the people were astonished at 
his doctrine. "For he taught them as one 
having authority, and not as the scribes." 

What is "authority?" and how do we as a rule 
receive it? To be the author and authority of a 
given thing is TO KNOW, and to know a thing is 
to experience that thing, since you cannot be 
authority for anything you cannot prove. Jesus 
did not prove anything but what he experienced 
in life, and that is all any one should be expected 
to prove, and the only thing he had authority on. 
"The scribes" taught from mere "belief," as all 
Religious doctrines are generally taught from what 
is supposed to be a fact, and not that it is so thru 
experience. You preach there is a Hell; then we 
should demand that you go to the "bottom" and 
find it, and you preach there is a Heaven ; then you 
should invent some scheme to find it, because it is 
no more than Reasonable that you "deliver the 
goods," if we are willing to make the purchase — 
"sacrifice" things to attain it. It will then be 
proved because you have "authority." We are 



272 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

disgusted with buying "gold bricks" and "watered 
stock," only to find that we have been swindled. 
If I speak "as one having authority," it is because 
I can prove by actual experience what I do know, 
and not what I "believe," for I too, may believe 
something I do not know. So you too, should 
WAKE UP before it is too late to enjoy the Heaven 
you and others can make HERE to some extent, 
and not suffer the Hell you and others make here to 
some extent. If you will spend more time and 
money in this — your own country, "saving souls," 
as you call it, than in foreign "missionary" work; 
you will note BETTER RESULTS IN THE 
FOREIGN COUNTRIES, than you can experi- 
ence to-day under the present system. If you "save 
yourself" as the people wanted Jesus to do when he 
was not in a position to experience and prove any- 
thing, the foreigner will have SOME AUTHORITY 
FOR BELIEVING YOU, or would have an EX- 
AMPLE of the Truth. But when you represent 
a country that builds for war and fight, — LAND 
GRAB AND THE LIKE, you cannot expect to 
be the example of any Truth. They do not ap- 
preciate the idea that unless they "repent and 
reform," that they will "go to Hell," as we have 
tried and do preach to them, while we are doing 
more against what is termed a sin than they are 
doing. No wonder they return "EVIL FOR 
EVIL," which same is now cropping out in some 
of the foreign countries. 

We spend more time and money to reach the 
IMPOSSIBLE, than for that which IS POSSIBLE 
HERE. "Everything is possible with God," 
but we find some things are impossible "with God" 



MENTAL EVOLUTION 273 

if it has no connection with the Principle of Good. 
It all depends on how you use the word "possible." 
It is impossible for God to get Good out of Evil, 
but "everything is possible with God" is the 
Truth, because the Truth IS "WITH GOD." 

So then, you may find fault with me because my 
fault is not yours, and not because I am at fault. 
The same doctrine Jesus taught is found fault 
with to-day, because we are as SELFISH AS 
THEY, or want to LIVE FOREVER. Does this 
not smack of selfishness in its worst form? It 
is as much as to say "if I had my way about things, 
no one else would live forever," which is analogous 
to the fact that there exists a class who keep this 
in vogue. We are just as selfish about our Religion 
as in other walks of life, and this is why it is not the 
true Doctrine, and therefore unscientific. 

I will conclude by asking a reasonable hearing, 
at least from those who have sought and not found 
that which is elevating and satisfying. It only re- 
quires a few to keep the Truth from going into 
oblivion, as in the case of all Scientific truths until 
it has so far advanced above Error that the latter 
will have little sway. We hear what is said of 
this or that Religion having such a "large follow- 
ing," but it need not be construed into a fact that 
because one or other Religion has a large follow- 
ing, that it is necessarily the Truth, because Truth 
is generally better known by "the fewness of its 
followers." It is of no use, and of course, unreason- 
able to argue with those who are satisfied, for, to 
be satisfied is THE GREATEST THING IN 
THE WORLD, yet, it does not hold good that 
such is the Truth, since Jesus had to do things 



274 MENTAL EVOLUTION 

that were not exactly as satisfactory as he wished 
them. Jesus said never to argue the Truth with 
any one satisfied, but take into consideration 
those who care to hear it, for, it is better to 
"AGREE WITH THINE ADVERSARY 
WHILES THOU ART IN THE WAY WITH 
HIM," since discord only breeds hatred, — and 
wise is that person who will not "GIVE THAT 
WHICH IS HOLY UNTO SWINE, LEST THEY 
TURN AND REND YOU," which is to signify 
that you make more enemies to talk that which is 
"holy" as you believe it to be so, to those who can- 
not receive it as you see it is so. The same fault is 
found with the Truth to-day as of old, but these 
must finally fall into the ONE rank of the ONE 
DOCTRINE, which is Christ as the Idea, and 
when "ALL" have this same Mind and Thought 
— God, then will be "the end," because "ALL" 
are "Christ's at his coming," instead of the 
"MANY CHRISTS"— Creeds who teach that 
Christ is to appear "AGAIN" in the form of Jesus 
as "the Christ." 

"Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to 
the people, I find no fault in this man." 



THE END. 



In conclusion; and for this reason I have '' authority, " is 
because I have been alleviated from and overcome what' are 
termed the worst forms of sin, and the appetite for liquor, tobacco, 
tea, coffee, and other *' drugs " or '' stimulants " necessary to 
relieve one who has been living '* after the flesh '' by daily making 
the following affirmation; since it is as necessary to have Mental 
food daily, as Natural food, for "man shall not live by bread 
alone. " 

According to the Truth, " I AM " God and Master here, 
therefore I have Power over the diseased and Natural conditions 
of life, because *'I AM'' Spiritual and not Natural, or **The 
Christ'' Idea, which is not of the world. 

"YE ARE," and I AM not of the world " signifies the 
same Idea, eras Paul says, "l live, yet not I, but Christ liveth 
in me." 



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